A Flurry Of Activity

The house has been busy around here lately. We have our brushing every 2 hours. Which is WOW time consuming to do and remember. Therapies 2 times a week with Occupational and Behavioral. I did discover that she NEEDS these weekly to be happy to. We've been going consistently enough that when there was a change in the routine it creates a nasty week. The therapies alone are 3.5 hours for the on location (1 hour each plus travel and waiting time) then brushing is 6-7 times a day and takes about 5 minutes a time so about 4 hours a week total there. So. Not to mention management of any therapy items that arise that have to be tackled immediately which happen almost daily, lets give that a good 30 minutes a day (so 3-1/2 hours a week)  for that. SOOOO A week we (T1, T2, and I) spend  10.5 HOURS a week JUST on T1's behavioral therapies. That's not including medication visits, trips to the pharmacy or anything. Just standard weekly therapies. And we NEED to add her listening therapy back in for her self regulation which is another 45-60 minutes A DAY. OY.

So on top of just the daily therapies, you add our standard other appointments for just - other - stuff. I go to the chiropractor 1 or 2 times a month and that takes about an hour. I get nerve ablation every 10 weeks (1 on each side so 2 visits) and that takes an hour and a half or so, BUT that day and the 2 or 3 days after have to be pretty much super low key days after.  Dentist appointment for getting things pulled, cleaned, filled, sealed etc are about every 2 months so far and take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.  ENT appointments are at least every 2 months and take an 1 -1/2 hours. Pediatrician appointments for sinus infections or other random ailments are usually 1 or 2 times a month and take an 1-1/2 hours or so. Appointments to the orthopedist for knee steroid injections are every 6-8 week, but usually are fairly swift at a mere 45 minutes. I , thankfully, no longer have to see the foot doctor which was bimonthly and took almost 2 hours. If Mattie has to have sinus surgery it take the entire day (and since he's had 10 of them, it's not like it's a "rare" occasion and he REALLY does need another one..).  Immunology appointments take an hour or so but are once every 3-6 months. Allergy shots are bimonthly now (they had been weekly and just got moved to every other week) but that takes an hour. Then of course if *I* get sick, hives, injured or anything else and have to go to just MY regular doctor  that takes another 1 -1/2 hours.

I'm sure there's more. It's a maddening amount of appointments to keep track of and GET to on time. Oddly, we've never missed any or been really, really late to any of them. And 1 & 2 have gotten to the point where they are very well behaved at appointments. They know if we have what I call "Appointment Day" (2 or 3 or 4 appointments in one day) they will get rewarded for good behavior. They will also get clobbered like monkeys if they are naughty. I keep them fed with snacks like pretzels and gold fish crackers and pliable with drinks and that helps, but who really wants to sit at 6 hours of appointments in 1 day? or 7 in 1 week? Exactly. And they have to - Frequently.

Twin Mind Speak

Even though T1 and T2 aren't actual twins, the have some kind of bizarre mind-to-mind twin speak going on. It's freakish. It's really rather unfair sometimes too. They can look at each other and somehow construct an entire game with established "rules", "language", "characters", and all and then tell people they should PLAY with them and follow the guidelines. They assume other people know these items. We don't. 

They also think that what one has, the other suddenly thinks is a great plan. T1 decided after I painted her room Friday, that she wants to take her door off and put up a pretty curtain over the doorway. Ok.. Sure. We are planning on ordering a hardmount curtain rod to do just that instead of a closet door, so.. *shrug* why not. I had painted the T2's room the weeks before and he hadn't mentioned anything about that at all. Hasn't said a WORD. I show him the curtains I'm getting for his closet "door" (for some reason our house has no closet doors in the bedrooms.. go figure..) and he starts saying that he wants THAT curtain for his doorway too.  Well. I am, in theory, ok with this plan. Except I've ordered his off Ebay (it's a full sized 2 panel Star Wars curtain - rather difficult to find if you are cheap.). Soo, that's a little more complicated.



They also feel some all consuming need to be "equal" and "fair". Yeah. Life is NOT equal OR fair.

 1) "It's not far she's ahead of me!!"  T1 is a girl who is 1 1/2 years older. Granted, she has gross delays in several areas which have allowed T2 to be on the same level as or better than in several areas, especially motor areas, math, science, history etc - and that makes it hard for him to remember that she IS older and SHOULD be more advanced in certain areas.

  2) T1 has accrued more money so far. Again, it's "just been around longer" thing. She's had more visits from the tooth fairy, from the random holiday grandparent, etc. She's got about double what he's got. He's gonna catch up, but he wants it Right Now. 

Complainers..

On social networking sites people are posting about they need ideas to keep their kids occupied. Great! I can see that. It's been 105 EVERY day for a while now. The kids are stir crazy, moms' are looking for new ideas, a friend may have an idea someone else may not have thought of. And enter the random "Give your kid Benadryl"  person. Really?!? I KNOW they are kidding. I get it. I get SO annoyed, tires, irritated, bored, and all the other possible other descriptors with my kids too. BUT... YOU are complaining because YOUR kids are home for the "summer" break of school. You only have to a few months to spend with them. To actually get to KNOW who they've turned in to for the older kids. And you are complaining because they've made your life more complicated. I'm not talking about the people *I* am friends with. They are mostly responses to friends of friends. But it still annoys me. I am with my little monkeys of trouble ALL day EVERY single day all year through choice and need. COULD I send them both off to school? Yep, could have last year.  Could this year. It would make summer, Christmas, weekends, evening and every single moment they have OUT of school that much more special I suppose, BUT I actually LIKE my kids as well as love the little bugger wall wipers.

Don't get me wrong, I do get to the point when I desperately NEED a break from them and feel like wringing their little necks. But I don't wish them away sooner. I wish them more healthily independent than they currently are. All we can do is work on it, which oddly we CAN do because they aren't in "big" school.  I like seeing a post on FB when someone misses their kids (not because they miss them - that part sucks..) because I can identify with that.  Soon people will start their "Count Downs" to school and be so excited that they can be rid of their kids again. *sigh*  School never stopped here and I'm not getting rid of mine and I'm not really all that sad about it. If I could let someone BORROW them for a few hours, great, but.. I think I'll keep them just like they are, hell monkeys or not.

The Great Cat Exchange

We have now have this lovely monster of a cat:

Why? Mostly because we can. But practically because he was having some allergy issues around his eyes and face that needed more continuous daily care. We traded this feral beast for him:

This feral beast needed a calmer house to be happier where small kids weren't screaming and chasing her all the time. Jasmine went to my moms house. Molly (yes, a boy named Molly. To go along with Vinny the girl.)  on the other hand needs to be where someone can chase him around and help keep a closer eye on his scratches and allergies.  The Great Cat Exchange is under way.

LONNGG Day..

It's one of those days when you really just have to wonder where it all went wrong. Where absolutely nothing (or no one as the case may be) jives properly. And what's even better is there's not a damned person who seems to care. When you call 3 people and not a single person answers it just makes the day that much longer really. It's easy to justify it as "they're all just busy with summer plans" or "they've got a lot to do too". But really, maybe it just comes down to I need new people to call. I mean. Its not an epiphany of any kind that after a while a hint can be taken.  Because a big part of the reason I HAVE been trying to get a hold of them is to see how THEY are. *shrug* Whatever. I guess, whenever they become inspired, I shall be duly appointed important enough to be contacted.  But really. I like to pretend that I am a good friend to those I AM friends with - which maybe in reality I'm deluding myself - and I'm not.

I guess I'm on the hunt for new friends. Along with all the other shit, I need some new people to try to get along with both of my little hellion monkeys that can also understand that I am a flawed person.

Food.

FOOD.
I love it. I also hate it. I love so many different kinds of things that I just CANNOT have.


These for example:

I LOVE fresh, ripe, juicy, just picked peaches. I - as of 2 years ago - CANNOT eat them. Or any of their related friends, as I found out yesterday. Which is rather tragic. That 2 slivers of nectarine were SOOO good. My neighbor had gone to a produce stand and brought us back a few things and !WOW! they were perfect.

But now I have to add nectarines and plums to my ever increasing list of "Things I Cannot Eat". It's getting rather exhaustive. It includes most seasonal fruits and veggies. I DO enjoy living (and with an intestinal tract at that and my throat all normal sized), but think about it. No peaches, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, melons of any variety, eggplants, nuts, kiwis, oranges, mangoes, plums, nectarines, mushrooms, barely, rye,  etc.. The list just goes and goes. *Sigh* And not only is it that, the list GROWS.  I just occasionally have to have a pity party.  Mostly when I discover something new for the list and am suffering the ill effects of said discovery. My belly is SO displeased with yesterday's discovery right now.  I should have just assumed that since I know I can't have peaches I can't have the others. But I didn't specifically KNOW and they looked SO good. 

Ear Tube Boy

Sooo Ear Tube Boy. Is now No Ear Tube Boy. And simply Ear Hole Boy. We went to the ENT and the nice Dr. Pulled that little sucker that was embedded into the side of his ear canal out. The Good News?? No more ear plugs in cleanish water (such as swimming pools, baths, sprinklers.) The bad news (because lets just admit it, there is ALWAYS bad news with us..): There is a still a wee tiny hole in his ear drum. He thinks it will, at some point, heal on it's own, but it may take some time. We're going to have them check it again when we go back at the end of Aug. for his sinus stuff.

Sooo now, I owe Ear Hole Boy a small toy from Target for letting them pull out the ear tube without making them have to sedate him. Let's just say bribery was done. But it got the job done. And, The Girl too since she didn't go ape shit crazy on my WHILE he was screaming bloody freaking murder when the chair moved. Yes, that's right.. The chair moved. Dun dun dummmmm. A chair that moved. We are SOOO screwed when it's dentist/ teeth pullin' time. That chair moves too.