Hello all, sorry it has been so long since I have written! I have been up to my eyeballs in everything lately. I don't even know where to begin.

We have decided to take a trip up north for Christmas. We'll be going to Indianapolis, western Illinois, and Nashville to visit family and hopefully see some snow. I'm extremely excited about it, however too tired right now to elaborate.

My hubby got a new job, still at the same place, just a different (and better paying) position. To celebrate, we got him a new car. It's a Toyota Prius, one of those hybrid vehicles. It is so awesome! He deserves it though, because he's always had the crappy car since we've been together. With a long commute everyday, he really needed something that was both more comfortable as well as economical. And I love people calling me a tree-hugger!

We have sold all of the puppies as of tonight. whew! I am exhausted from all the running around I did today with the puppies, but hopefully we have found everyone good homes. All the owners that I have kept in touch with say that they are the best dogs they've ever owned, so I'm proud of that. I know the breed has a lot to do with it, but so does how they were raised, so I feel happy that we chose to breed her and that we were able to make so many families happy!

I have gotten more information about the hearing for Loni's medwaiver. It's going to be Dec. 20th at 1 PM. If you can all bow your head and say a quick prayer for me around that time, I would really, really, really appreciate it, because I need all the help I can get. All the paperwork that I've recieved cc's about 5 lawyers for the state, and then me. Little old me, representing my son. I hope I can do him justice. The fact that we're tree-huggers now further proves my point that we aren't the type to medicate. LOL!

I think my kids are on an autism calendar for 2007. I'll have to update you further on that one, but I got an email the other day about it. It's for the National Autism Association. I'll buy them all up if that's the case !

I feel like I've done nothing but drive for about a week straight, so I am looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow, filled with research on how to help Loni in court next week. I'll be working on the laundry and packing, and I'll do a little grocery shopping too, but more than anything, I just want to stay home for as much of the day as possible.

Again, I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted. Soccer being in full swing always keeps me busy, but between the puppies and new car shopping and Christmas shopping, I've been swamped! I will try to be a little more "regular" from now on (with the exception of the vacation of course)!

Thanks for all your posts letting me know you were thinking of me!

Take care,
Leslie

Well, we have sold the last of the puppies! They all went to wonderful homes, and it was nice to make a little money for something that I worked really hard on. We are only keeping one, and her name is Brownie. We all wanted to name her something a little cooler, but we just couldn't agree. So Brownie stuck. Plus she already knows her name, so it's too late at this point.

Our Thanksgiving plans kind of fell apart, which was OK by me. My in-laws and my mother were supposed to come over, but because my kids had been sick that week, my husband and my mom caught it Thanksgiving morning. So we called his parents and told them that dinner probably wasn't going to be a good idea. They ended up just bringing some food and dropping it off, and then thye left. Not that I dislike my in-laws, but it was nice not to have that pressure of getting out the china and keeping the kids from peeing on the dinner table. OK, I'm kidding...they wouldn't actually do that, but still...you know what I mean. So, we ate off of paper plates, in seperate rooms, and all was good. I took some food over to my mom's and visited a few minutes. I couldn't stay long because I didn't want hubby to have to handle the kids for too long since he wasn't feeling well.

Other than that not a whole lot has been going on. I have kept busy by hitting lots of sales, and cleaning the house. I have been really tired lately, which is kind of unlike me. I fell asleep one day recently and slept for about 16 hours straight. Last night I fell asleep at my computer desk. Sitting up. I slept like that for about 5 hours, before I woke up with a stiff back. Then I crawled into bed and slept a few more hours before getting up and getting the kids off to school.

I do have some incredibly exciting news! I have convinced my hubby to let us take a family vacation this year! It has been about 4 years since we have taken one, and I really want the little ones to see snow. I told my hubby that the only thing I really want for Christmas is to go home- to Indiana. We argued about it for a few days, but he eventually caved! So I am going to Indianapolis for Christmas, then over to IL to see one of my brothers, and then down to Nashville to see another one of my brothers. I don't have any family in Indiana, but I still consider it home. I think the city is so beautiful. It's a shame the Colts aren't playing that weekend in Indy, but it will be nice to cheer them on at a local sports bar with all Colts fans surrounding me.

Speaking on which, I have more cleaning and organizing than ever to do because of this trip. I promised hubby that we would be 100% ready to go by the time Dec. 22nd arrived, so I have to adhere to that. Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Take care,
Leslie

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I know you guys know how crazy my life is, but I'll still briefly explain.

Because of the interview, I spent about a week scrubbing every surface of my house. I figured it was worth it considering Thanksgiving was coming up, and we always host. My in-laws have cats that I am extremely allergic to, so we can't go there, and my kids would break everythng in everyone's home anyway, so even though it seems like a pain, it really is easier.

So finally the interview happened. I basically just sat there talking about alot of the issues that I'm facing, or that we as a group are facing, and every once in a while he would ask a question. The funniest was when he asked my husband something that he had asked me, and my hubby answered almost word for word exactly the way I answered it...and he wasn't even home when I was asked! The reporter said that he would like to do a several part series on autism, and wanted to talk with other group members, and come back next month with a photographer. So I was pretty pleased about that. He also had a photographer here when he was doing the interview. Thank God his camera didn't have a flash, or else Loni would have run towards the hills! But my little girl was all smiles when she saw the camera...posing and saying "cheese"...the whole bit.

Saturday we had soccer games starting at 8 AM. My daughter actually kicked the ball during the game...it was more reflex than anything, but at least she kicked it the right way! *grin*

My son had his game, and they tied. He was really upset about it, but he got over it pretty quick. One of the other moms on his team actually works as an aide in my daughter's class, and we ended up going shopping that afternoon. None of my friends seem to be shoppers, so it was nice to go with someone who wasn't complaining or clock-watching. While I was out, I called home, and my hubby told me that the kids were both barfing their guts out for no apparent reason. He said he could handle it, but after about 3 more hours he called and asked me to come home. It worked out well because I was already on my way. I got home and it only happened a few more times that night, but I took my turn dealing with it so he could rest.

The next day everyone seemed fine, but it was football Sunday. My Colts lost to the Cowboys, which is OK, but I was really disappointed that Dungy challenged a dumb play, and didn't challenge a play that led to a score by the Cowboys. Oh well. Honestly, they haven't been playing as well as I would like them to, so they really did deserve to lose one.

Monday morning my daughter went on the bus, and my son was supposed to go to therapy. Didn't happen as planned. Suddenly the barf fairy visited us again as I was loading him into the car. He ended up staying home all day, but was fine after the early morning incident.

Tuesday everyone went to school. It was nice to have them go at least one day this week, especially considering what I'm facing over the Christmas holiday. I was able to catch up on my laundry, which was about 10 loads. We had never caught up since the whole dryer lint cleaning thing. But, we have no dirty clothes in our house now, and I only have 1 load left to fold! I am thrilled about that!

Tuesday afternoon the fairy from the other end visited Loni multiple times...and the results wound up all over my floor. Nothing is more disgusting than picking up that stuff. Skip to the next paragraph if you get sick easily. Now. It was green, watery, and yet thick and tarry at the same time. Practically impossibly to pick up with paper towels. Lots of splatter too, so I had a rather large area to clean. Gross!

Then Wednesday morning I woke up to the same thing, only it was in my daughter's pull-up. And it was A LOT. I had to bathe both of them, and myself and get everyone ready for Loni's therapy by 8:30 AM. Keep in mind, I'm not an early riser. So I had about 45 minutes to get all of that done- and no time to make coffee. Somehow I managed, but it was probably because I had a talk with my oldest while the other 2 were in the bath, and he agreed that he could watch my daughter while I took my son. Therapy is only 5 minutes away, so if he needed me, I could be home very quickly. Especially if he NEEDED me. He did great, and my daughter was fine with staying with him. I ended up giving him $7 for helping out, which he knew nothing about until I handed him the money. If he had asked upfront for it, I wouldn't have paid him.

We put an ad in the paper for the last 2 puppies, and I've already had 3 calls about them. Hopefully we can get them into a couple of great homes quickly. There was an ad in our other local paper about how Labradoodles are the new "it" dog, and apparently Fortune, Money, and National Geographic magazines have all made comments on how great these dogs are recently. They equated owning a Labradoodle to being the first on your block to have a Prius. Well oo-la-la. But, I should probably write that guy and say thanks. He-he.

This is a bit on the sad side, but I do feel that I need to mention it. Bernard Rimland, an amazing man who dedicated his life to autism and research, passed away Tuesday at the age of 78. He was the first person to challenge the "refrigerator mother" theory, which said that kids became autistic because their mothers were cold and distant. I met him a couple of times, and he was very kind and gracious, and even helped me shop for toys for Loni at the Indianapolis mall when I was there for a conference.Please say a prayer for his family, as he has an autistic son who is probably having a rough time with this. May he rest peacefully.  

On a different note, my anniversary is Friday, and I had already gotten hubby his gift. Tonight,  couldn't take it anymore, so I gave it to him. He travels to NY on business, and being that we're in FL, he didn't have a coat that he could really wear for business. So, I got him a nice overcoat, scarf, and leather gloves. He seemed to like it, but was concerned with the fit over a suit jacket (which was my intent). Hopefully it works, but he thinks he's going to keep it regardless. The gloves didn't fit though (so I must aquit). Anyway, he had gotten me something too, and asked if I wanted it, so of course I said yes! I had asked him for a Palm PC for Christmas (not the kind with the phone), but the stinker went ahead and splurged for our anniversary! I was really suprised because that was more money than I thought he would spend. Keep in mind, this is the gut who bought me Mother's Day presents from a street vendor once. Anyway, I was pleasantly suprised. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we have my mom and my hubby's parents coming. I'm not sure how good of a day it will be, but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm looking forward to all the leftovers and the football games. I'm such a guy. Anyway, Friday my mom is going to watch my kids so I can do some serious sale shopping. I'm excited about that too! We tried out a new baby-sitter tonight. Her name is Michelle, and she's really nice. My daughter was very sad when she had to leave. But she's coming again Friday to relieve my mom around noon. I'll still be shopping!!

I probably won't be getting online much tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be safe in your travels, and may each of your families have lots to be thankful for this year, and in the years to come!

God Bless,

Leslie 

  

  

 

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Actually, I only have a few seconds to let everyone know that the reporter is on his way, and he came to our support group Wednesday night! I have been cleaning my house all week. You would think it would look descent by now, but alas, not yet. But, it's crunch time, so I have to go get ready and forget about the house. I'll try to blog more later or at least tomorrow!

Thanks,
Leslie

Nyquil affected me last night. I guess I just kind of wanted to see what people thought I looked like because I know that I have have pictures in my head when I read someone's blog.

To end the undying suspense (ha-ha), I'm a blonde with hazel eyes. I have been told more often than not that I remind people of Helen Hunt (which I don't get because, well, I just don't get it), and I have also been told that I remind people of the pretty Drew Barrymore. Those 2 looking nothing alike, I guess I'm somewhere in the middle.

Anywho, I mentioned yesterday in my blog that I had a nightmare day on Friday. Here's why:

First of all, the kids had off school, so I knew it would be a tough day. By 9 AM I was ready to pull my hair out, which is never a good sign. So I decided that I had to get them out of the house. I put them in the bathtub and gave them a nice scrub-down, and by about 3 hours later, I think we were finally ready to go. I had to make my oldest go with me because I can't handle the kids totally by myself in public. My oldest hates that, but I didn't feel too guilty, because I knew I was going to allow him to spend his $230 of birthday money while we were out shopping. He also needed goalie gloves, so we were going to look for those too.

I insisted we get my oldest's hair cut. His grandma owns a spa, so we made an appointment and went there. His dad's wife also works there, so while his grandma was cutting my oldest's hair, his dad's wife was brave enough to try and cut Loni's. That is always a struggle that usually ends in vomit. But, she did really good. I had to hold him on the chair, and was covered in his little hairs by the time we left. I had it in my mouth, my eyes, and all over and down my shirt. We had to go home before doing anything else because I had to get changed.

I pulled on to my street, nd the car in front of me pulled into my driveway and the people got out. So I pulled onto my lawn. I knew they must've seen the sign for the puppies. They did, so I ran in and got them. I had been gone for a while, and had not had a chance to brush them yet that day, so they didn't look as pretty as they could have. The people looked, but left after about 10 minutes. Oh well! I changed my shirt, and off we went again!

Our first stop was Sports Authority and I had him run in by himself to pick out his gloves. But, they were out, so we headed down the road a little ways. I stopped to get gas and smokes, and by the time I got there, my daughter was asleep. Perfect. She could catch a 15-20 minute nap while I took care of everything at the gas station, and then on the ride to Wal-Mart.

Got to Wal-Mart. I normally don't go to this Wal-Mart because it's about 1/2 an hour away from my house, but we were down that way for Sport's Authority, so I figured what the heck. I hate this Wal-Mart. I already think that I am the only polie person that shops at Wal-Mart, but in this town, it was much worse. I have to get those double-seater carts for the kids, and I always end up with one with a broken strap and then I have to spend 20 minutes finding one that isn't broken. The people at Wal-Mart never are helpful in that department. They always look at you like you're a walking birth control ad. Anyway, it happened as usual, and finally we found a decent cart. Kids strapped in-check. Oldest nearby-check. Purse-check. Let's shop! This Wal-Mart is set up slightly different, so I seemed a little like a fish out of water while I shopped, and it didn't help that the cart didn't push properly. The kids were doing good, until we got to the toy aisle. You would think it was because they wanted something, but that wasn't the case. My daughter had just gotten bored, so she decided to start making loud noises. I of course, corrected her, but after that she started spitting. I could tell she was not going to stop because she was in one of her "things" (impossible to describe, but end result is always a major meltdown, no matter how gently you correct her). So, I chose to ignore her. It worked here and there. My oldest picked out his stuff, and being broke, I had used his money already, so I put his stuff on my credit card. It was the only one left with availability. It had plenty of it, but still, I couldn't believe how quickly we had charged all our cards up again. He spent almost all his money, but said he was happy with what he was getting, so I didn't bug him too much about it.

I go about the rest of my shopping, and halfway through, Loni decided he had to get out. It was because of the cereal I picked out. I knew that was it, but I thought I should get out of the store as quickly as possible rather than succumb to his tantrum. Hubby would have ripped the box open right there, and I think that is teaching him that he can do that. Anyway, my lovely daughter had taken her shoes off at this point, and Loni was "helping" me push the cart. We got up to the front, loaded the belt, then loaded the cart. Keep in mind that I had needed to go shopping for a while, not so much for food, but for things like dryer sheets and toilet paper. So I had a lot of must-have items in the cart. Especially the ice cream! So I go to pay with the credit card, and it comes back declined!!! The worst possible thing, at the worst possible moment. I am standing there with Loni hanging on me, desperate to get to his favorite cereal, a line behind me, my daughter climbing out of the cart, knowing that I have to be able to take these groceries home with me, knowing that I have the availability on the card, and it comes up declined. I am in a panic while they try other methods of swiping the card. FInally I ask them if they can let the people behind me go ahead, and I would call the credit card co. They did, and I did. After trying to enter my card number (I HATE THOSE DAMN AUTOMATED SYSTEMS WHERE YOU TALK TO THEM- I HAVE KIDS, OF COURSE IT'S NEVER GOING TO HEAR ME CORRECTLY!!!), my zip code, my SSN, and home phone number, I finally get through to someone-who tells me they can't help me. I get transfered about 5 times, before I say "can you just please help me? I am standing here in a line at Wal-Mart with 2 autistic children and melting ice cream?!" Of course not. They transfer me again. While on hold, I watch my shoeless daughter climbing out of the cart. I am trying to hold her while she tries to go limp, and Loni, while he is trying to get to the cereal, which I can't open, because my credit card company has some sort of an issue! At this point, my oldest sees that I can't take it anymore, and he tries to help. He starts playing patty-cake with my daughter, which did help. I asked the cashier if I could leave the cart while straightening this out, and take the kids all out to the car so my oldest could watch them out there. She said that was fine (thank God!), so I practically dragged the kids out of there. I got them all strapped in while I was still on hold. Being that stressed and still on hold, I decided to try and get a quick smoke in. Halfway through that smoke, they hung up on me. So far it had been a good 20-25 minutes of hell. I called them back. I had to run back in to get the credit card number because I had asked them to hold onto it while I took the kids out. I went through the whole thing again, and this time the person that I got was kind enough to wait with me while I held for the dept. that I needed. I had to run back to the car to make sure everyone was OK, which they were, and by the time I got back in the store, they had gotten it straightened out. I made the guy on the phone wait with me while I made sure, and thankfully, it went through. I thanked everyone for their patience, and took my melted ice cream and got the heck out of there! Overall, I think it was about a 45 minute ordeal, but it was mentally exhausting! I laughed with my oldest on the way home and said "So much for thinking it would be easier to get them out of the house!" Next time I'll be sure to have a backup method of payment with me!

So, by the time hubby got home I was tired and cranky, but I took my oldest to his soccer practice. Then I think I came home and crashed! So, that was my nightmare Friday. Gotta love Wal-Mart!

~Leslie