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I'm itching to get cleaning!!! I'm making a mental check list of everything that needs to be done to get ready for the warm weather.
So when the kids are home for spring break in a couple of weeks, we ALL will get busy!
1. Rake the leaves we forgot to in the fall
2. Make a natural concoction to kill every little stinkin clover that thinks it is going to take take up residence in my lawn. Not this year you hideous varment!
3.Paint!!!
4.Remove the tree that has turned into a 50 foot bush in our front yard. (back story) When I was pregnant with Bella I decided to chop down a smallish maple tree that was stupidly placed in our front yard. The remaining stump sprouted many trunks and now looks like a confused half breed tree/bush... It needs to be taken out of it's and my misery.)
5.Fix all the door frames that are wounded from being slammed by woman, teens and tweens... and a feisty five year old.
6.Repair deck railings
7.Reclaim my sun room
8.Clean under the deck... might just send Peter in on that solo... that's where the hairy spiders live.
9. Remove the dead squirrel from the pool. I was hoping a hawk would spot it an do the honors for me but alas he is still hanging out and floating belly up.
10. RELAX And sing to a bubble, while little birds make me some tea and cute non rabid mice rub my feet.
It all looks so good on paper! I'll update after spring break and give the results!
Of course I have total confidence in my family. They never fail me! Plus the Commander in Chief will keep them all in line!
That blog title could be the story of my life. I guess many could claim it. Sometimes life rolls smoothly along and sometimes like for the past 45 years life insists on playing a constant game of Dodge Ball. Only it keeps throwing hard ass balls when I'm not looking. Getting nailed has become so common that I barely notice the sting anymore. Just another tuck n roll..
But you know everyone has their limits. Can I formally call a time out? Is that allowed in the game of life?
How about a cease fire so I can catch my breath?
Sometimes you get me in such a tither I can't see straight! I act like a twitchie, touchie, moody, lunatic. You make me do things I would never, NEVER do under more lucid conditions.And although at these moments I must look rather humorous to others .. I'm not laughing! Like, I'm not laughing when I get into the car and can't remember where I'm going or which kid I'm supposed to be picking up because my mind is dodging that ball aimed at my head. Or when I'm caught "talking" to you in public and get caught! Oh that's just great! See people think I'm talking to myself, they don't realize I'm addressing "LIFE"!
I choose to walk away from this stupid game. I refuse to play. So life, what are you going to do now?
I choose to not be hit anymore. I choose to be bigger than the ball that keeps slamming me and my family.
The next time you throw the ball I'm going to catch it and then I'm going to promptly hand it to Jesus .. then "life" you better run! Cause when Jesus aims He doesn't miss!
He's playin' for me now!He is in charge of my "life"! And you need a lesson!
So while Jesus is playing Dodge Ball for me, I'm going to soak up the sun and read a book. Maybe even have some tea. Maybe even shower! I refuse to lose the laughter and the joy that I still have.
Right after I cut Emmie some more cheese.She's like a little mouse! Nakie , eating cheese and watching Signing Time. Could not be cuter! Sorry no pic, cause she's nakie... come to think of it, she spends a lot of time without clothes lately.
It's so easy to get caught up in the drama of life. Everyone has it. You really can't hide from it. My fault is I let the bad blind me from any good. I let it suck the happiness out of me. I refuse to take joy in anything when the bad stuff is overwhelming me. And that's wrong!!! There can be joy amidst difficult and even scary times. And it is hard to laugh when you're in a situation that looks pretty bleak. But what I need to constantly remind myself is .. Jesus has the ball! This game is a piece of cake for Him. And He wants me to win!
My failing is not in His plans for me. He wants me to be happy, right where I am, and He is begging me to remember that at any moment something wonderful could happen.
So I will wait patiently for my future something wonderful while enjoying my gifts of the present. And keeping humor close at hand. Laughter is the best medicine for staying sane in the midst of insane situations.
Now how could I not at least crack a smile ,
when I look at these two!
The sound of birds chirping is so typical.. I've got Emmie singing this morning!
Don't ask me what, she makes it up as she goes along.
And what screams spring more than blue toes!
Aren't they lovely! Complements of big sister Bella!
Flippies and sundresses are right around the corner! I can feel it !
And I had to add this,picture. It has nothing to do with spring, but it's Emmie reading a book as the teacher and showing the class the pictures! Too cute!
Yes, that 's a Christmas book, LOL
Keep thinking warm thoughts!
Emmie has no idea how to throw up.
How's that for a hook sentence. Sorry for the bluntness and probably unwanted visual, but I'm shocked! I thought that disgusting act was instinctual.
Em is clueless.
So I guess you all figured out Miss Em was sick recently. In the wee hours of Sunday morning it attacked. Thankfully 5 hours later it was gone and no one else has gotten it (knock on wood)
But My heart broke as I realized Em really was in the dark about how to vomit (sorry)
On a lighter note, my van is dead again. Still waiting for someone to yell April Fools!!!!!
So far April has been a freaking blast.
On an even lighter note Emmie has been counting up a storm today.
4,5 4,5 4 5, 7
She is also showing her "spirited" side.
She was mad at me today because I wouldn't give her something that she wanted to eat, so she took the spoon I was using and threw it in the garbage... while she was there i guess she spotted something she couldn't resist. I felt something hit me in the back of my legs (with some force, may I add) Turning to see what it was I was slightly grossed out and very upset to see a yukky wet pull up at my feet.
An the face of a little stinker staring at me from the garbage.
Can't wait to see what April 2nd brings...
Well spring has supposedly sprung. The March Lion is heading out and the gentle lamb is moving in. So long winter of 2014... you were horrendous!
Thought I'd play a little "Catch up with the Kaczmarzyk's " today.
Mom and Dad are holding down the fort as the minions repeatedly try to take over. Their leader seems to be the smallest yet most ferocious of them all.
Just kidding ! She's really kinda cute!
They follow her lead and seem to give her whatever she wants out of loyalty..
They will do anything to make her smile.
Because when Emmie ain't happy , no one is happy
Or it could be they're all just afraid of her.
The two oldest of the minions spend a lot of time in what seems to be a very bi polar relationship. We often hear laughter to the point of hysteria, which can suddenly and quite unexpectedly switch to the sound of two cats fighting to the death. One I believe is named idiot and the other is moron... but the names also seem to be interchangeable.
They also spend an obscene amount of time dancing, which they say keeps them sane... I beg to differ. I think they are completely crazy, but lovely.
The middle minion girl, is trained in high tech flipping moves which she practices non stop... everywhere. She has used these moves to escape the wrath of the older minions many times. She seems to be the instigator and has mastered that trait.
The one boy minion is the gentlest and the one we approach without fear. He just seems to want food and is lulled into complete submission by Sponge Bob.
As long as the fridge is stocked the car is gassed up and ready to drive them wherever, at any time, and Barny and Friends is always available they say we can stay and live here in peace with them. I think that is a fair and generous offer.
And of course there are those special and rare moments when all the kids are together, a cease fire is declared and mom and dad are invited in to just relish the moment.
Our motto, memorized by all, and recited daily...
"Remember, if anyone asks , we're just a nice normal family."
Seriously, though... I cherish these days!
Big day today. The national campaign to wipe out ignorance is out in full force. In case you haven't heard, the "R" word, you know, Retard, Retarded, yeah those words. Well they've been shelved.
In a nutshell they are insulting and hurtful.
Close your mouth, I know what you're going to say.
How do I know?
Because I've said it too. A million times.
"I didn't mean anything by it."
" I'm not making fun of people with disabilities, I love people with disabilities"
" You took it the wrong way"
"I just meant....
Look if you trip over your dishwasher because you left it open and call it a retard, odds are your dishwasher could care less. But I care. I care because when you say the word, retard, you automatically get an image of my daughter in your head. Whether you think you are or not.
WHEN YOU SAY THE WORD RETARD, THE IMAGE OF A MENTALLY CHALLENGED HUMAN BEING IS WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND.
And that my friends is unacceptable.
Pick your words wisely, because we're out there to kindly offer you alternatives if we here you using inappropriate words..
Em loves to hang with her siblings. And they love to have her around. But sometimes she can be , well... the annoying little sister.
Andrew loves trains. So does Em! The problem is that Em thinks that when Andrew breaks out the trains, it's an invitation to join in. Andrew on the other hand would much rather fly solo, or be the lone conductor.
He has a certain way to build his tracks and unfortunately Emmie always seems to want to make "improvements". She soon takes over completely and poor Andrew goes from Conductor to mere helper.. if that.
Em lives by the golden rule (hers) of, what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine. Andrew's golden rule.. Stay away from my stuff!
I sympathize with the kid, I really do.
Here's the thing. Andrew sees Em as his little sister.. period. He sees no disability, no challenges, no Down syndrome.
So when do I have to throw in the Down syndrome card for Em? Do I throw the card at all? Or do I let them battle it out?
Granted , she's fresh at times. Not because she has Ds but because she has mastered being fresh.
Then there are the times when I know she is doing something, or not doing something, not because she is spoiled or fresh but because there is that gap in understanding or reason, that she just hasn't mastered yet. Like being a tyrannical train conductor.
For now I just give Andrew a look and tell him to cut her some slack. And continuously redirect Em to playing "nice", or nicer because she thinks her way is really nice..
And I secretly really like that he doesn't often cut her that "slack". And sometimes it really makes her mad. But I guess we are a full inclusion family. LOL
Tell me your thoughts!
I know a lot of you must face this on a daily basis too.
Em loves animals.
As you can see here, she is holding our gerbil Gus Gus, with tender loving care...
I was unfortunately forced into an impromptu anatomy of a gerbil lesson as she is holding him upside down. I begged her NOT to give kisses, while I tried not to pee myself from laughing so hard and of course get the one in a million photo.
* Disclaimer, no gerbils were harmed during this hands on moment. Gus Gus is very welled loved in our home.
Ok , just a quick posting bragging about Miss Em's speech! She now pronounces all the letters in the word MILK!
Em is lazy talker, as dubbed by her mom.( I can say that ;) If she can find a way to shorten a word she will. So most words don't have the proper endings. And she has something against the letter "C" all together. She replaces it with "T".
So we are celebrating in the house today by pouring cup after cup of M I L K..
Sure wish we had so kies( cookies) to go with that... We're working on it!
As 2014 rolled in I promised myself a year without procrastination. We've been friends for so long, I wasn't sure if I could say goodbye. But I severed ties and I've been doing rather well.
So, no procrastinating on this post. I'm strapped for time, so here it is.
Reece's Rainbow has another brilliant campaign in the making . 21 Days of Hope.
You can read all the details here! It's amazing!
But in a nutshell it is HOPE for 21 children listed on RR that will be highlighted during the month of March.
I need Gracelynn to be one of them.
She is an older child. She is already 11. Older children are harder to place. No secret about that. Now, throw in the words Down syndrome and International adoption and her odds just hit the curb.
Voting for the top 21 as begun, and I'm going to do everything possible to get her enough votes. Pride has been tossed to the wind... long ago, and I'm not above begging for the life of a child.
Her life depends on her being adopted as soon as possible. I'm not playing with drama here. Institutions are no place for anyone, especially children.
Here's what I need you to do, Sweet Friends.
1. Click HERE and vote for Gracelynn. Today! And then once everyday until the 28th
2. Share this post, so others can see my girl too... please.
3.Pray she makes the top 21!!!
And about that voting. It's fast, free, and painless. There is no signing up, no form to fill , no personal info, NOTHING! Just a simple click on Gracelynn's name. Not time consuming at all.
And the most important part, is you will be helping to save the life of a child. A child no one really cares about. A child no one has chosen to love.. yet. A child that for the past 11 years has lived without the love of a family.
A child that deserves to live.
Many thanks,
Stephanie
I know , I know, does anyone right theses anymore? I mean I haven't written a Thankful Sunday post in at least 100 Sundays. Seems we've (my family and I) have been in " Tuck N Roll" mode for way too long.
And when you're busy trying to land on your feet from all the bumps life is throwing you, you sure can forget the good things that are sometimes lost in the mix.
Every dark day has at least a little twinkling of light somewhere!
Today I am thankful for a beautiful day I had yesterday. Bella and her team kicked butt at their meet, each taking home a giant trophy.
The older girls held down the forte and when we got home it was clean, the baby was clean, and no one was fighting! That's a miracle and I am thankful!!!!!
The weather, dare I say, seems to be breaking. Looks like God is going to allow spring after all! THANKFUL!!!
I'm thankful for old friends and new ones.
I'm thankful for every inch of my tiny house that I complain about every single day. Because without it where would we be???
Soon the weather will be warm and the house will be all opened up! The yard and deck and sun room make it seem bigger. We will only be inside to sleep as summer will have us outside all day. For that I am thankful!
Have a blessed and restful Sunday!
Quite simply, the face of Down syndrome is:
AMAZING !
FUN!
SILLY!
FRIENDSHIP!
LEARNING!
GROUCHY !
PEACEFUL !
MINE!
HIS!
THEIRS!
The face of Down syndrome is more than a face, it's a person. A child, a sister, a brother, a friend, a student.
The face of Down syndrome is a face just like yours and mine.
The face of Down syndrome, is a human being to be treasured and loved and respected. Not a mistake to be aborted, or discarded.
If you are carrying a child, and you have received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and you are scared or confused, let me tell you what most doctors will not. You ready?
Your child is a blessing.
Your life is not over
Your child WILL grow and learn
Will you be challenged daily? Of course.
Will you be frustrated? Oh Yeah
Will you be pushed to your limits? Hell yeah!
But guess what.
That would happen even if your child didn't have Down syndrome.
Quite simply Down syndrome is made to sound a lot worse than it is by a medical field who doesn't understand it fully themselves. Granted there are a few wonderful doctors out there who do "get it". God bless them! But for the most part, they unfortunately do not.
Move past the diagnosis, and love your child unconditionally.
Because quite simply, The face of Down syndrome is :
LOVE:
Haven't been here in so long I almost need GPS to find my way back!
So where is Em and what is she up to? Well she is up to everything. She never stops and is ruling the roost.
She is loving school and we are getting ready for kindergarten next September. Her words are coming. She can speak with great clarity these catchie phrases.
No way
Go away
Moooove
Mine
NO!
We also hear,
I love you, bye
Gimme (your) hand
Hi mommy, mommy
It's ok
boo boo (give a kiss) all better!!
lalalala, lalalala, Elmos world (as sung as only Em could )
ummm, eat?
I want to eat.
knuckle punch
High five
And tons of other new words.
Still stuck on colors and letters and of course as always boycotting potty training...
She loves to clean up and will put her dishes in the sink after she eats. She will also put anything not nailed down into the sink too. Her other favorite places to put things when she's cleaning up is the garbage. Don't even want to know what we've thrown out.
She can put her socks on by herself and some slip in shoes. She is just about to manage getting her pants on. Just trying to convince her to put one leg in each of those holes. So far she is liking the mermaid look. And of course she has no trouble taking her clothes off.
She has been invited to numerous birthday parties and her favorites are definitely Chuck E Cheese... who she is obsessed with.
She is exhausting and demanding.Quite impossible at times and we often have our "disagreements". She knows where the corner is and has spent her fair share of time in it. She is a spitfire with a heck of arm... she is currently testing our limits on hitting.
She still makes us laugh until we cry. She is crazy in all good ways and her antics are our daily entertainment. She continues to be our guiding light and our daily strength. She knows she is loved and in return she lavishes us with her endless unconditional love.
We are beyond blessed!
