In home help/autism assistant

So we now have a therapist coming into the house to help with Ethan's day to day skills. It's nice to see how they do things and to ask questions and to show what you have "mastered" for them to build on. 

That's our crazy at the moment. 

Have a great day. 

Back to business as usual

Well it's Tuesday. Kids are off to school. One off to work and the Youngest Daughter and I are in Seattle for her weekly meeting with her therapist. 

I did laundry yesterday and cleaned up in general. 

Other than my Eldest Daughter announcing that she's moving out in the next few weeks, which had mixed feelings associated with it... Business as usual for me being home again. 

Nothing TOO crazy this week. 

Have a good day. 

Calm before the storm

Well it is officially my first day back at home tomorrow. And by that I mean I am a work at home mom again.

I've been feeling kind of restless the last few days and not sure what it means, if anything, however I am looking forward to the adventures to come. 

Not much crazy at the moment, but I'm sure that'll change soon.

Have a great night. 

Happy New Year 2016-Catching up

Ok.  Here I go again.  It has been a crazy year.

Eldest Daughter bought her first car (with a co-signer for the loan).

Youngest Daughter had six DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) episodes, five of which ended up with hospitalization and one in the ICU, all in a seven month period.

Eldest Son turned 18 and is a Senior this year.  Went to Italy with his AP class last spring, and just got back from Texas for his grandparents 50th Wedding anniversary.

Middle Son turned 15 just before Christmas.  How did THAT happen?!  His issue this year was his growth/teen hormones and a freakishly hot summer here, that had his seizure meds increased because he was having more seizures than normal.  It's so hard to watch, because I have NO idea if he even knows what is happening. Other than that, his is still his happy-go-lucky self.

Youngest Son is just getting bigger, and as with most children in this day and age, we are concentrating on getting him "disconnected" from electronics. It was rough at first, but it is getting easier-ish.

Me? Trying to hold it all together.  Not always succeeding, but trying. The BEST news for me this year was my sister and her husband moving back home from Arizona.  YAY ME!  her baddest (yes I know the grammar is bad) news, was HER mom passing within the week of her returning home.  At least we have that to support each other now.  I KNOW what it is like to lose your mom, when she is one of your best friends.  All I can do is hug her and tell her, her actions and feelings are normal.

I raised me some chickens.  I LOVE MY CHICKENS.  I have become that crazy chicken lady.  They are so funny, fun and wonderful.  The Ladies greet me every day, and will actually sit and let me and my family pet them.

I did go back to work for the last half of the year. I so love the ladies I work(ed) with.  They are the best crew in the world, as far as I am concerned.  BUT it isn't just me who thinks it either.  We have customers who have to check our data packages that we send them, most of them DO NOT travel to any of their other suppliers, BUT DO come here to Washington, simply to be in the department, to partake of the camaraderie, true helpfulness and Thai Thursday's.  These ladies are an amazing group. And it shows.

My Hubby? Good.  Loves his new job, He's been there a year now.  It is SO nice to see him animated about work and not dreading the trek in, much less the work involved.  He is VERY happy that we started playing our role playing games again.  Friday Night Dungeons and Dragons is an absolute must with us and our friends now, Hubby is the DM (Dungeon Master).  We sometimes revert to our 14 year old selves (ok most times) and the group is wonderful.

So this year I am no longer doing Facebook.  I am trying to get away from Social Media.  I am still on Pintrest (it is a good organizing tool), but NO FB.  It sucks my time like no ones business.  It isn't so much the looking at peoples profiles or anything like that, I have liked certain pages and end up looking at the links and articles.  I can do that in a reading/blog program.  Not to mention, the posts that just keep reappearing.  After almost 10 years on FB, I think I have seen almost all of the fabulousness and idiocy I can handle at the moment.

I am going to go back to a simpler time in my life.  Before all the media input outlets, and information overload.  The constant bombardment takes a toll.  I remember growing up on the farm.  There was always something to do, time to rest and relax, read a good book, lay in the grass with the dog (or horse).  Planting a garden. Talking to the animals.

The rhythm of farm life is slow and regimented to a degree.  The animals NEED to be fed, watered, tended, looked at and loved.  It's a quiet predictable life.  I miss that deep in my soul.  The Urban Chickens in my life have reminded me of that need.

2016
This is the year of ME.  I am concentrating on myself this year.  Getting my groove back.  I am a caretaker by design, and I forgot someone I need to take care of.  Myself.  I am fat, anxious, depressed, unhealthy, unhappy and unfocused.  I am no longer going to tolerate it.  I cannot help anyone if I am in the hospital.  I cannot change anything except myself, my responses and my situations.  So if I don't like something, I am either going to accept it for what it is (my response) or accept my beliefs and be true to myself (my situation) and walk away.

The younger me was happier and healthier and less involved in world connections (media).  I didn't realize how MUCH I liked the old me.

That's it for the crazy right now.
Have a wonderful and crazy fun New Year.

New Year 2015 - New start on Simplifying

So first on my list of things to accomplish.  Blog.  Done!

One of the things I also wanted to do is get my Youngest Daughter started on her goal of acquiring a DAD.  What do you mean by that you ask? WELL...DAD stands for Diabetic Alert Dog in this instance, so I have created a crowd funding campaign for her.

http://www.gofundme.com/DADforMorgan

Organizing - Yup. Doing it.  I love this new site that is helping me get there.

Household Management 101

I am doing fairly well on the Declutter Your Home in 15 Minutes a Day.  The Facebook page is REALLY fun with all the things that get posted with before and after pictures, and the organizing ideas.

I have completed all the days on the calendar the site put out for 2015 EXCEPT for making the Household Binder.  There are so many things to consider in my life, what with all the crazy going on, that I have at least printed it, gotten a binder, and created the sections.  Now, I just have to notate it.

With our crazy family, and my being a relatively new stay-at-home mom, being organized is near critical.  Mostly for MY sanity.

MY Cheats and helps so far?

The Roomba - My husband and I decided to get a Roomba for Christmas.  The 880 is WONDERFUL!  I have it set to run at 4:30 am.  My alarm is set for 6:00 am, so if there is an issue (full bin), I can deal with it and send it back on its way.  How is it a cheat or help?  With Willow the woolly wildebeest service dog, I am having to vacuum every day to just keep up with the shedding, the Roomba 880 doesn't even blink an eye at it.  LOVE!

Yes I still have to clean out the mechanics of it every other day, but this one is TEN times easier than the last one we had.

AmazonFresh.com - How does this help?

1.  I can list all of my family's favorite meals as a list.  I then can simply click "add all available items" and it all shows up together.  I have contacted the web team with some suggested tweaks, like being able to add multiples of an item to the list, currently you can only add a unit of 1(one), so I must make use of the description area to remind me that I need 2 of this or 3 of that.  I also suggested that they give the option of a List or a Recipe.  They stated that they would forward the suggestions.

2.  It helps me stay on budget for meals/food.

3.  I am SUPER picky about my fruits and veggies, and they have really good quality.

AND
4.  Delivery is free, since I never get out of the grocery store for less than $50 anyway.

Amazon.com - I admit it.  Hello, my name is Cherilyn, and I am an Amazon addict.

Organization/Ease
1.  Bread Machine - I bake and use it for dough or for a really tasty loaf of bread.
2.  Cleaning Caddie/Spray Bottles - I got all of my cleaning supplies together in one place and its PORTABLE.  I mix my own cleaning supplies (natural AND concentrates), so I take my Sharpie and mark it with the name AND mixing information.
3.  Bought a huge supply (36 pack) of microfiber cleaning towels.  I can clean up, use them as spoon rests, throw it on the floor for whatever messes happen down there, and they all just get tossed into a bucket in the laundry room after use.

I have tons more to expound on, however I would like to have more than one post. :)

So, here we are...a new year with the same ol' crazy.  Here's to holding on and making my 8 seconds.

Have a great day.

Food and a large family.

With 4 teens and 2 adults in the home, the largest expense aside from rent/mortgage is...food.

How to budget food and make good meals for 4 hungry teens and 2 adults.  Processed foods are so salty, but so convenient.  Although, I do like several sites that I am going to try and make better use of:

Six Sisters Stuff, Yumprint, The Pioneer Woman and many books.  I particularly like Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals, The Convenience Cook by Finlayson, Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and Easy One Dish Meals by Cookbook Resources LLC.

Six Sisters have great ideas and with, well six sisters? Lots of input.  I first discovered them on Facebook with a posting about freezer meals.  Tried it, and learned a lot.  First I learned that order of items is (almost) critical.  Chopping is something you definitely want to do first, so that packaging goes more quickly.

I really have to say that having items in your freezer to just load into your crockpot is VERY convenient and takes some of the thought process out of your day.

The hardest part is finding recipes that don't repeat very often, although my husband and boys would be very happy with that, I like a bit more variety. Then add in seasonality of your eating habits?  It makes meal time a challenge at my house.  I have salad eaters and people who would consider being in a green room close enough.  I have found that fruits are a big hit with everyone and try to have them available for snacking and we even put the fruit bowl on the dinner table, so that there is at least a choice.

Yumprint is a great add-in for your internet window.  I like what they have done.  I browse the internet, stalking recipes and when it detects a recipe-like format on the page, it pops up a little tab.  The interface is easy enough, click the tab, review what it has pulled from the page, edit if need be, and then categorize your recipe.  You can make a menu, or simply track what you have tried and like.  The only real complaint I have, is their shopping list feature.  I have tried several times to use the menu planning and then click the shopping list, but it never seems to combine things properly.

Of the books, it is kind of hit and miss. I will recommend The Practical Paleo because she REALLY thought out the layout.  It is a good book to have even to just read about the tips and tricks of cutting and chopping, not to mention the recipes have been GREAT!  I loved the "Perfectly Baked Bacon" and several other recipes.  Yes some of the textures are different from what you would normally expect, but so far, I have not had any of my eaters, refuse anything I have pulled out of the book.

The next venture will be into window gardening.  I have been watching videos on making window growers out of plastic bottles.  You can buy something already made at WindowFarm.com, however I would like to recycle some items I already have around the house.

Well, that's my crazy for the day.

Have a great one everybody.

It's a crazy life (aka Thank God Summer is over!)

Back to the blogging now that I have time.

Summer was CRA ZY!  We had 2 kids in summer school, one in ESY (Extended School Year is for children with substantial learning challenges), a family visit, a family member moving into our area, and...I am sure that I have forgotten many things in that list.  I am however, very happy school is back in session.

Oh and on top of all of that, I have taken over the finances for the menagerie, and my husband was informed, very nicely, that "The company is going in a different direction, and while we think you are very talented and have great skills, they just aren't the ones we need right now."

I mean really.  They could have gone the scandalous route and called him in for an "early meeting" and while giving him the heave-ho, packed his office for him (I've seen it done), but they have given him the respect of letting him close things up, cleanly pass things on, and leave on good terms.  I liked the company before, but now I can respect them too.

On the child front:
Eldest daughter is starting college classes today.  She decided to take a year off from school and then go back.  Glad to see her following through on it, and very proud.

Eldest son did a class in summer school and passed with a B, to get ahead.  Kudos!  He is struggling a bit with school this year, but it is just the beginning and he just needs to get a routine down.  He also took an AP test just before school ended in June and got a 5 out of 5.  So woo hoo! A college credit for him!  

What I also like is that he is getting involved in school and making friends.  Aspergers can make that social interaction such a challenge and he is having a blast with his Improv club.

Youngest daughter.  She did really great this summer with her diabetes.  She brought her A1C down from over 14% to 10% in only 5 months time.  She has fallen off the wagon a bit, but I am trying to help her get back into the habit.  She also attended summer school to make up a credit and got a B as well.  She has also challenged a class and is taking 2 mathematics classes this semester.  Eeek! BUT, she is very smart when it comes to math, so if she applies herself, she will do very well.  Her favorite thing this year? Culinary Arts class.  She loves to cook and is having a blast.  I also signed her up for an after school exercise class and she seems to be enjoying that as well.  I know we are enjoying her class, since I had a very tasty classic English Scone for breakfast this morning.

What I am looking forward to for her, is the education presentation she is going to give at her school for staff, parents and students about Type 1 Diabetes.  It is a great presentation.  Very proud of her. I hope she is able to make a group that meets and supports each other.  It seems to be helpful for her.

Middle son.  ESY was fun for him, he had a blast.  The summer for him was go, go, go.  The boys mother and her family took all three boys to Walt Disney World in August and apparently, Middle LOVES roller coasters.  It figures though, he has little or no fear.  The picture his mom sent, had him smiling from ear to ear. 

During his time in Florida, mom forgot to give him his fluoxetine(Prozac which is used for OCD issues as well), and we didn't see much difference in his behavior, until it was completely out.  What most people don't know is that this chemical has a "half-life" and for lack of a better term, wears out of your system.  Well, 2-3 weeks later, his "self-soothing/stimulating" was becoming much more emphatic.  There was a bruise on his hip, the size of a large orange, more vocalization, more hand movement (not flapping per se, just more hand movements).  My husband and I decided to restart the medication and over the last week or two, his behavior has become much less emphatic, and less self injurious.

Now Youngest son, is just the baby of the family and is going into 1st grade this year.  He is still testing waters at the house, seeing what he can get away with and what he cannot, typical kid stuff.  His is whip smart and bores easily.  HOWEVER, our relationship is getting better.  We are interacting more and hanging out a bit more too.  It's nice.  Not use to having a small one around the house, and his battery is just on FULL all the time.

Other items: 

Budgeting. Hate it. Regardless, I am just going to have to get over it.  I am not looking forward to that part.  With 7 people in our immediate family and the ex-wife, we are basically supporting 8 people.  Something has to give and I think it is going to be my sanity.  

Me time.  I am going to have to start taking better care of myself, and that means, dare I say it? Exercising.  Guh!  I like the results of the actions, it just performing them that really drags me down, however the workout high, is great, and it will have wide spread affects for me.  Lower my blood pressure, lower my BMI, lower my anxiety, and help me sleep better.  Now. if I could only figure out how to exercise without having to actually do it.  I'd be a bazillionaire!


Well that's the crazy for today.

Have a great one.