tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145297642024-03-08T17:35:33.679-06:00Sarah StationSarah Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17274871604737826915noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-70608062120536165512014-05-30T07:53:00.002-06:002014-05-30T07:53:42.982-06:00Summer 2014 - The Lofty Goals (ish)It's the last day of school!!!!! As always, I have mixed emotions about that. For any of you out there raising kids on the autism spectrum you know that even though the slower pace of summer and lack of homework is something we all love, the lack of routine that comes with it can be hard on our kids. Because of that I have always felt a need to plan, be organized and generally put our entire summer on a schedule. Not so much this year. The kids are getting older. They are fun to hang out with and have conversations with. They can learn new skills and participate in things that benefit our entire household (yes, I'm really talking about chores). I suppose the biggest difference is that I realize my time with them is short. They are growing up so fast and I don't want ot schedule away our time together. I want to make memories and have them grow up and say summers were a time they had fun with Mom. (Not summers were a time when Mom went crazy trying to keep us on a schedule that we had no say in and didn't really enjoy.) So, below is the general plan for the summer. Some of you may laugh, but I do ensure you that this plan is definitely less structured and rigid than it usually is. I'm not even making my schedule spreadsheet in excel this year. I think we call that progress.<br />
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Mom: Goals/plan for myself include things that will improve both my health and the general functioning of the household. <br />
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<li>I may work some (I should know more about that by this afternoon), but it will not be the 8:30-2:00 twice a week deal I have done the last couple of years. Instead I may work a handful of hours once or twice a week as needed for special projects.</li>
<li>I will be spending a significant amount of time at the gym. I should be there right now, but this was my last chance to come back home to a quiet house so I'm enjoying the solitude and silence before I go in to work for a bit late this morning. For me the school year = mostly maintain and summer = pushing forward. I wan tot be stronger and leaner by the end of the summer. Same goal I had last summer and I'm really ok with that. For a new challenge I am adding cycling to the mix in my workout routine so we will see how that goes.</li>
<li>Recreate the habit of meal planning. I used to plan meals a month at a time. When Easy took the job he has now it shifted our pay schedule, which shifted my grocery shopping routine, and meal planning got lost in the shuffle. Knowing that I will likely be working one more day a week than I did this school year come fall, I really need to get back into this habit. When I don't plan we eat too much pizza.</li>
<li>Teach the kids......more on that in the kids sections.</li>
<li>Spend time playing with my children. They aren't little anymore, but I realize now that we can still play. I can watch Doctor Who with Paris, I can play catch with Vivi and play board games with Tripp. We can swim and watch movies and do the giant jigsaw puzzle I bought for us to work on all summer. I'm not so great with Tripp's video games, or with Vivi's Zoobles, and I really don't have a clue about Paris' Minecraft, but I can find a way to spend time and bond with each kiddo and that is my #1 goal for the summer.</li>
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Dad: Seriously, I'm not stupid. I don't make goals for my husband during the summer. He still works. Instead we will as a family enjoy having him off on Fridays and endeavor to engage him in whatever activities we can over the summer. It won't be hard. He's a pretty awesome daddy and husband.<br />
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Kids: While my #1 goal is bonding in fun ways with the kids, they may not actually see that as my priority. These munchkins seem to be having a hard time with the concept of growing up = more responsibility. So, yes, we will have fun, but there is work to do as well. Much to their chagrin, the general rule around here is work first then play.<br />
<ul>
<li>June will be busy in the mornings. Tripp & Vivi are taking some enrichment classes from 8-11 everyday, and Paris has Keyboarding from 7:45-11:15. This helps to extend a little bit of that routine that my aspies need to keep their world sane, and it helps prevent hitting the "I'm bored" wall before the end of June. June also holds a return to the ticket system for screen time. It is effective and gives everyone a fair chance to play their games without going overboard and fighting over who gets what. They will hate it, I will love it.</li>
<li>Tripper will be taking some swim lessons if I can get the schedule to work out. My goals for him are to help him understand that he needs to fold all of the towels, not just 10 at a time, increase his efficiency in cleaning his room, and teach him to change the sheets on his bed by himself. I have a little tiny bit of academic work for him to do in July and August so he doesn't forget what schoolwork is. He is truly the lowest maintenance kid I have. (And yes, I realize that on paper he should be the most challenging - but he's not.) Oh, and he is gong to Mega Days (church camp) for the first time!</li>
<li>Vivi has a number of things to work on this summer. Her tournament softball team will of course keep practicing and attend some tournaments. (Go Blaze!) In addition to her enrichment classes she will be doing some academic practice at home and likely working with a tutor on some math skills. She will also be doing some swim lessons if the schedule works out, and I think she will be going to Little Belle Camp. As far as household involvement, Vivi will be working on putting away her laundry and cleaning her room without help from Mom. I would love to add some new things to her list, but the truth is if we can master what is already on her list and eliminate the fits and grumpys she tends to throw during the process then I'm going to call it a HUGE success!</li>
<li>Paris will be going to Mega Days, have AMCMS dance team dance camp, attend Little Belle Camp, and take some private flute lessons. Her main household goal for the summer is to actually submit to the system that is in place and be held accountable for it. It is more about attitude and distraction than anything, so we will be working hard on how to get the work done in the most efficient manner so that she can relax and have the optimal amount of fun. So simply in theory....</li>
</ul>
So there you go, that's the plan-ish. We are taking a family vacation to Galveston at the end of June. We plan to finish the upstairs game room. We are going to have weekly science fun days with my best friend and her kids. We are going to swim as much as we can. We are turning off the electronic games at 7pm so we can do stuff together as a family. We will have family movie night every week. And let's not forget that we will be raising a new little puppy in the midst of it all! I think it's going to be a great summer, and for the first time in a really long time, I am absolutely looking forward to it!Sarah Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17274871604737826915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-55161647227740078502014-05-24T14:29:00.000-06:002014-05-24T14:29:35.259-06:00A Year LaterA year ago, on the last week at school, I sat at a table at Cracker Barrel with my best friend and cried like a crazy person. That's not true. Crazy people yell and scream and wail. I didn't do that, but I cried. Maybe I even ugly cried. I was making one of the most difficult decisions of my adult life. I was deciding that it was time to let go of Cowboy. <br />
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For those of you who are new to me and my family I guess I should explain. Cowboy was our rat terrier. Best. Dog. Ever. Easy and I got Cowboy within the first month of our marriage. Easy's dad bred rat terriers so we knew Cowboy's parents (Buddy & Corky) well. He was the epitome of a pet that is really a family member. He was almost 15 when we let him go. He had congestive heart failure and arthritis. We had him on meds for about two years there at the end, but we had reached the point that even on the meds he clearly didn't feel well. He wasn't going to get better. So I made the decision.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, Easy was in agreement. I'm pretty sure he even called and talked to vet before actually making the appointment to make sure we were making a good choice. But it felt like my decision. Easy would NEVER have pushed me to let him go if I wasn't ready. He never even mentioned it. I came to the decision in my own time (with some verbal processing assistance from my mom, my best friend, and Easy) and he simply held me, cried with me, and handled the details. I sure love that man.<br />
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So, why am I writing about this a year later? Well, first it's because I wasn't blogging a year ago. Second, it's because I need a break from cleaning my room. I hate cleaning my room. Always have. I'm pretty sure I genetically passed that trait on to both of my girls. But the reason I'm cleaning my room is actually the third reason I'm writing about this now....<br />
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We are getting a new puppy next weekend! Did that sound excited? I was going for excited. Truth is I'm pretty mixed on this one. Am I ready for a new puppy with all it's cuteness and puppy breath and snuggles? Absolutely. Am I ready to watch my kids bond with a pet that they can all know and love from it's infancy to adulthood? Yep. Am I ready for Briley (our 6 year old Vizsla) to have a buddy dog again because she has gotten increasingly neurotic over the last year? You better believe it. Am I ready to give my heart to a precious little critter knowing full well the heartache I will endure when it's time to say goodbye. Meh.<br />
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Is that terrible? I didn't even realize I was feeling that way until I started cleaning my room today. We were supposed to puppy sit a friend's new weiner dog this weekend. She changed her mind at the last minute (didn't want to be away from her baby) and I realized that was actually good because our house is nowhere near puppy-proof at the moment. So I'm working hard to get it de-cluttered and ready for a little chewing, peeing, ball of cuteness. I think seeing how totally in love with her puppy she is made me realize that I'm about to do that again. I'm about to adopt another member into our family. One that I know will ultimately break my heart, and the heart of my kids. That's just how it works.<br />
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Is it worth it? I think so. There is so much joy and laughter that will happen along the way. It will be especially awesome to watch Tripp with this particular pet. He just in the last year start to have any interest in our pets and he showed it most with two kittens. (Please don't ask what happened to the kittens. That would be a whole separate blog post.) It seems he likes baby animals. My hope is that getting to help raise a puppy will help him in his ability to emotional bond with others. I've read lots of things that describe how beneficial raising a pet is for a child with autism. The girls are ecstatic about a new puppy and the hardest part I see there is keeping them from fighting over it. That, and keeping Vivi from injuring it with her overzealous love. It's going to be worth it. It's going to be great. It's going to be work. It will provide new parenting opportunities. It will help increase the nurturing skills of all three kids. It will try my patience. It will add a HUGE dose of love to our house. Yeah, it will ultimately ads some heartache too, but that's ok. Loss is part of life on this fallen planet.<br />
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Being a person that does not grieve well, I realize that teaching my kids how to deal with loss is an important part of raising them. I've had more opportunities than I would prefer to work on that with them. Most recently we worked on that lesson when the precious man that led our children's church each Sunday was killed in a work related accident. As I'm sitting there typing I realize that Earle would get a new puppy. He would embrace all the love and joy that God gives us in this life. He would use it to teach the kids that God gives and God takes away and that it all works for good. Everything good comes from the Lord. Puppy breath included.Sarah Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17274871604737826915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-17082001718109972232014-05-12T08:34:00.002-06:002014-05-12T08:34:34.034-06:00Hello? Anyone Reading?It's been almost two years since I typed a blog post. Life has been busy. Towards the end of last summer I felt strongly compelled to start blogging again. I didn't actually do it, but I felt the need to start writing again. I kept making excuses about not having time and blamed the kids for dominating every electronic device in my house. Maybe my phone was free, but really, who wants to blog from their phone? I asked for a laptop for Christmas. That wasn't exactly in the budget. No blogging for me I thought. Easy excuse.<br />
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Yesterday was Mother's Day. My husband gave me a Surface Pro2. Well, it's a combo gift for Mother's Day and birthday. It's mine. I don't have to share. The kids will never touch it. I can start a blog post any stinking time I want. Maybe not at work, that might get me fired. Excuses gone. Time to write. Expect some obligatory catch up posts, then we will see where this takes us.... I'm out of practice so be patient.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-2409597012620768262010-08-09T13:37:00.003-06:002010-08-09T13:51:15.528-06:00SummertimeI can't believe that summer is almost over!!!! I also can't wait until summer is over! :-) All in all I have to say it's been a great summer. The kids have done much better than last year. We can clearly see the toll that lack of structure takes on Tripp and Paris, but the regression has been much less than last year. So, as we are looking ahead to the start of a new year at a new school I thought I would share a few of my favorite quotes from the last few months...............<br /><br /><br />Not long ago Vivi was throwing a fit about who knows what and I looked at her and asked,"What is your problem today?" She replied in full tantrum mode,"I just need to go to pre-school!!!" Yes, sweet V you do and it's only a few weeks away.<br /><br />On the way home from picking up the bigs after their summer school Graggie overheard this.....<br />Vivi and Paris were getting into it about something and Vivi did her very loud disgruntled sqwuak. Graggie then hears quietly from the other side of the car..."Oh no. Vivi's cranky." Yes Tripp, she was and she still is....apparently she needs to go to pre-school.<br /><br /><br />Me:"Vivi, how do you spell your name?"<br />V: "V-i-v-i, we're dropping the E!"<br />( a change we decided on this summer so as not to confuse our Vivi with the "other Vivie" that we hang out with.)<br /><br />I'm trying to think of something funny that Paris said, but I'm coming up empty at the moment. She's actually been really great this summer. She took some knitting classes and that is now her "thing." It's nice because it's a quiet activity. Oh....here's a quote from P..........<br /><br />Me: Paris, why must you always be making noise?<br />Paris: I like to make noise.<br />Me: Clearly, but why?<br />Paris: Ask God, He made me this way.<br /><br />So, there you go.............we've stayed busy, kept our sanity (most days), and are counting down to the beginning of school. Praying for smooth transitions, new friends, and continued growth for everyone. I pray the same for you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-37038554515766999382010-04-01T11:09:00.002-06:002010-04-01T11:21:04.094-06:00Some Random Thoughts#1 - I really don't have time to blog. If I don't have time to blog when am I going to write a book? This is going to take some serious lifestyle change to accomplish.<br /><br />#2 - I don't like getting up at 5-something in the morning to exercise. But I DO like how I feel the rest of the day when I do it.<br /><br />#3 - Asperger's comes with gifts - Paris and Tripp are always amazing me with their understanding of God and their ability to let Him be the peace in their life. Most recently Paris explained how encouraging it is to know that God is with her always. She said "I'll have Asperger's my whole life, but I'll have God too so that's ok." Wow, my precious baby girl.<br /><br />#4 - Spring makes Cowboy act inappropriately.<br /><br />#5 - May 31 can't come fast enough.<br /><br />#6 - God is amazingly good at details and prayer seriously work. After agonizing over how P would react to finding out she is going to a different school next year, God paved the perfect way to explain......He prompted HER to ask ME if she could go to school with Tripp. She says she'd be more "comfortable with a family member at her school." Thank you Lord!<br /><br />#7 - My husband took off Friday so we could have a family day and I think he's going to spend the first half of it doing stuff for my dad. I guess that's family stuff, but not exactly what I had in mind. Sleep late anyone? We won't.<br /><br />#8 - Vivie will turn 4 this month. How is that possible?<br /><br />#9 - Vivie is a master manipulator. She conned our sitter into letting her sleep in her panties instead of a pull-up. The next morning she was so proud of herself and actually snickered when I realized she had wet the bed early in the night and it was dry and smelly. Not. Funny.<br /><br />#10 - God did not create us to be independent beings. We need Him. We need each other. We need to be held accountable for our actions, and even for our thoughts. For those in the world who often feel the "it's none of your business" sentiment all I have to say is this - It's all God's business and sometimes He uses us to assist in His work. Get over it and find some people you can be transparent with. Find people that will help you grow spiritually. Don't want to grow? You are the devil's playground.<br /><br />(sorry, that last one is a bit harsh - but those are my thoughts today.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-80937522448703011122009-12-16T15:51:00.000-06:002009-12-16T15:54:08.055-06:00A Letter From TrippMy son got a present from his teachers today and included was a notepad and pencil. He brought them to me and said "Help me write a note." I obliged and here is what he dictated:<br /><br />Dear Mom,<br /><br />You are cool. I like to play with you. I like to play games. I like to paint. I like games of Crazy Eights and 3D puzzle. And some stickers!<br /> Love,<br /> Tripp<br /> Age 5<br /><br /><br />Now that's what I call a Merry Christmas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-19381398348628439472009-12-08T12:10:00.002-06:002009-12-08T12:27:45.594-06:00State Autism ConferenceWell, it's been way too long since I posted. I guess good intentions don't actually get the blog written..........<br /><br />Easy and I attended the Texas Autism Conference last week in Corpus Christi. Thank you TEA for doing this conference, and thank you CSISD Head Start for helping Easy and me get there! If you've never been to one of these things let me tell you - it's long, and exhausting, and well worth every minute. I wouldn't say that we really learned a lot of NEW things this year, but we definitely were reminded of some important things, and have realized that there are a lot more ways to implement that knowledge than we have been doing.<br /><br />It was really nice to have Easy there with me this year. Usually I attend these things alone and then have to come back and fill him in. It's nice to avoid that teacher/student dynamic this time. I don't like telling my husband what we need to do anymore than I imagine he likes being told. You can really be a more effective team when you both get the same information. Plus, we get different things out of each session so it's nice to have that extra set of ears and his amazingly complicated brain right there with me.<br /><br />While we were gone something really cool happened - Tripp had a phone conversation with me!!!! Apparently he heard me on the speaker phone talking to Vivie and he walked up to Mom and told her he "would like to speak to Mommy." Then he got on the phone and we had a converstation. A real converstaion! Complete with give and take, appropriate inflection, questions & answers - it was AMAZING!!!<br /><br />The girls did well while we were away as well. I wish Paris did as well for me as she does for my mom. The last two mornings have been rough. I know that she used to be capable of getting up, getting dressed, and coming to breakfast. Not so much these days. It's like she is having sensory storms in the morning or something. Either that or she has me completely snowed and is just being a pill. Not sure which - and that's the hardest part of raising Paris. I never know which it is. Is it the autism or the 7 year old? And how exactly do you create and maintain consitent parenting strategies when you have a non-compliant 7 year old Aspie, a compliant 5 year old Aspie, and a totally nuerotypical 3 1/2 year old who is learning behaviors from the other two? If anyone has ideas please let me know. Right now it consists of a lot of prayer, and a tremendous amount of effort to maintain a neutral tone in my voice. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.<br /><br />Looks like I'm spiraling away from the positive so I'll go for now. Be praying for us. Paris' inital ARD is schedule for Wed. the 16th. Also just found out today that it looks like we are going to have to find a new psychologist and developmental pediatrician for P&T. Please pray God shows us exaclty where we need to go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-48007483838605796082009-10-31T08:31:00.002-06:002009-10-31T08:52:57.564-06:00Conversations with ParisHere are two conversations I had with Paris in the last 24hrs. It really is a wonder that I'm not in the looney bin.<br /><br />Friday evening on the way home after dropping off the littles at a Halloween party that Paris couldn't attend because she was sick:<br /><br />P: Mom, do you ever wish that Noggin was never created?<br />M: No.<br />P: Well I do, all the time.<br />M: Paris I know that the shows on Noggin/NickJr are too young for you and that you don't like them, but you don't have to watch them if they irritate you.<br />P: YES I DO!! Those littles get to watch it every single day so I have to see it.<br />M: If it bothers you so much you have the choice to leave and do something else. You can always go play in your room.<br />P: MOMMY! Drawing in my room gets boring. Actually everything in my room gets boring, and I just..........<br />M: OK, Paris, I'm not going to listen to you whine and complain about this. You can watch their shows or you can leave the room. End of discussion.<br />P: Mommy, now you are irritating me.<br /><br />and here comes my fatal misstep - born simply out of exhaustion and weakness after a week of being puny along side P.<br /><br />M: Paris, sometimes it seems like everything in the whole world irritates you.<br />P: That's because of my Aspergers.<br />M: I know. I'm just not sure how to make that better right now.<br />P: Well you need to figure something out because everything you do just makes my life harder.<br />M: (involuntarily laughs in disbelief)<br />P: Well that was rude.<br />M: I'm sorry Paris. I don't know what to say. Everything I do is to try and make your life better.<br />P: Well you need to try harder.<br /><br /><br />And then this morning we had another one - this one I could at least find the humor in...............<br /><br />Paris is sitting on my bed while I rummage in my closet to find some comfy clothes for the day. Briley our big dog is with P.<br /><br />P: Ha! Briley is putting her bottom in my face. Why would she do that?<br />M: (feeling happy, well-rested and a little silly) Maybe she thought you'd like how it smells.<br />P: Well it doesn't smell good. It smells like a bottom.<br />(she now follows me into the bathroom where I'm about to get dressed)<br />M: What does a bottom smell like?<br />P: Well, I don't exaclty know.<br /><br />here comes the misstep again...........<br /><br />M:(as I bend over pointing my bum towards her) Here, smell mine.<br />P: No! Um, I think this is rude, but...your bottom is (pause) F-A-T.<br />M: (trying desperately to keep a poker face) Yes, that is rude. Get out.<br />P: (as she leaves the bathroom) I thought that was rude.<br /><br />Sigh.........................Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-27578598525931926112009-10-28T09:23:00.002-06:002009-10-28T09:43:22.298-06:00PunySo, I am at home with a puny Paris today. Tripp was home Monday due to fever on Sunday. Paris came home from school Monday with fever. T went back to school yesterday - on his birthday! How is it possible that my baby boy is 5?!?! Anyway, I thought Paris would go back to school today, but she was up in the middle of the night with about a 100.5ish temp and a headache so I let her stay home again. Is anyone else tired of having sick kids? I am seriously tired of this.<br /><br />Paris made me laugh yesterday. I had my hair pulled back on the side with a clip. I don't think I've worn it like that in a really long time. When Paris got up and looked at me she kinda stopped, cocked her head, and said,"You look....different. It's like (pause) it's like you have Vivie's face with your hair in that clip." I guess she is just now noticing how much Vivie and I look alike. And sweet Paris, I think Vivie has my face, not the other way around. :-)<br /><br />Speaking of Sweet V, she's doing great. Apparently her immune system is made of steel - she hasn't had so much as a sniffle in the midst of all this sickness. She's enjoying school though she keeps coming home with bruises. Yesterday she had to little purple-ish spots on her cheek which she insisted were from being pinched by a classmate. Turns out she was painting with purple paint. I suppose someone else could have had paint on their fingers and pinched her - she was very consistent with her story. The marks washed off though so I'm not too worried about it. Her other antics as of late include an increase in her "hiding problem." We've always known that Vivie likes to hide things - she once hid my Nana's room key in her chip cabinet and we couldn't find it for a week. A couple of days ago I was doing the dishes and I hear a faint voice say "You'll never find it." I turn to see what she's up to and she has Tripp's "not fuzzy Elmo" and is stuffing it behind my reading chair. I called her name and she jumped, turned to look at me, and says in her very sweet voice,"You can get it Mommy." Turkey.<br /><br />And to explain the "not fuzzy Elmo".........Tripp has 2 big Elmo pillows. He got the first one when he was about 18 months old. He had already developed a love of the little red monster so Nana bought him this life-size Elmo pillow. The next Christmas he got another one from her because he loved the first one so much that he had totally flattened it out and it had lost it's soft fuzzy feel. He accepted the new one into his life, but refused to sleep with it insisting on "old Elmo" at bedtime. So, now he's 5 and he still sleeps with both of them in his bed. When he was sick with croup a few weeks ago he starts running around the house looking for Old Elmo. "Mommy, where is my Elmo?" I told him to go look in his bed. He ran in his room, stopped abruptly, pointed at the Elmo in his bed and stated with disgust "THAT Elmo is fuzzy." He left the room and continued searching for Old Elmo. We finally found it, stuffed behind the couch - gee, I wonder who put it there. Turkey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-68180751733149500662009-10-10T07:54:00.003-06:002009-10-10T08:08:40.259-06:00What a Week!I am so glad it's Saturday! Here's our week in review:<br /><br />Sunday - I wind up in bed witha killer headache and low-grade fever all day<br /><br />Monday - take a bunch of ibuprofen because I have no time for a fever. Take Paris to be evaluated by Dr. Montogmery. Get her diagnosis - I now have two children with Asperger's Syndrome. No time to process, must pick up everyone else. Make phone calls to let those waiting for the news know. Text Easy - yes, I told him via text, how sad is that?!? Get through homeowork and dinner. Easy walks in as I'm putting V to bed. Get T to bed. Chat with Easy briefly and then we sit down to tell Paris the news. Woof, exhausting day.<br /><br />Tuesday - "normal" Kids to school, go to work, pick up kids, do homework, fix dinner, take P to gymnastics, leave when Easy gets there for Women's Ministry mtg, come home, crash<br /><br />Wednesday - open T's door to find out he's been possesed by Darth Vador and is running a low-grade fever. Get Paris off to school, call mom to help get Vivie to school, get T to the doc - croup. Thank Go for good friends so I don't have to pick anyone up at school. Get through homework and dinner and all that the evening requires. Crash<br /><br />Thursday - have mom come over to watch T so I can take V to school, get stopped talking Sonshine School business, go to Target, go to HEB, go back by Sonshine School to pick up dinner that my sweet friends made for us because when you don't know what else to do you cook!, get back home in time for lunch, go pick up kids, have a typical Thursday evening<br /><br />Friday - Tripp goes back to school, Darth Vador moves into Paris. Home again with the girls this time.<br /><br />And now it's Saturday, myhusband just walked in from getting new tires on my van and brought me breakfast and Dr. Pepper. I'm headed in to work for a few hours and then I have a date with my husband. Thank you God for getting me through the week. I couldn't have done it without you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-4340798599833076952009-09-28T11:00:00.002-06:002009-09-28T11:04:50.611-06:00Random ThoughtsI nearly ran over what I thought was a little piglet this morning. When I drove past it (very slowly) I realized it wasn't a pig, it was a very fat little dog that loked to be a cross between a chihuahua and a rat terrier. It made me laugh.<br /><br />Vivian beleives it is acceptable to strip her shoes, socks, and shorts off the minute she enters the house. I can thank Tripp for teaching her this. Not sure yet how to make them stop. Not sure I care that much right now.<br /><br />At some point I will learn to choose my words more carefully. I should never say to Paris, "Hurry up or your cereal will get soggy" in an effort to get her moving in the morning. No matter how long it takes, or the crunchiness of her cereal, once that statement is made it is a garuantee that when she sits down at the table she will pronounce her cereal too soggy and refuse to eat it. This will then be followed by a minor meltdown when I diagree with her assessment. In the end I will most likely cave in and fix her fresh cereal because having her eat SOMETHING before school is more important than being right about the soggy status of her food.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-27356552604066978082009-09-21T18:00:00.003-06:002009-09-21T18:01:03.254-06:00Under ConstructionThis log is currently being revamped. Please be patient as I rebuild. Thanks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-44038127577726918272009-09-09T16:51:00.002-06:002009-09-09T16:51:26.458-06:00News Flashthis blog will become active again by the end of September. stay tuned......................Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-41845114949826917582008-12-30T08:17:00.002-06:002008-12-30T08:20:02.851-06:00A Note from Paris"Dear momy and dady we love you. W love you so mush are hes blo up."<br /><br />Translation:<br /><br />Dear Mommy and Daddy, we love you. We love you so much our heads blow up!"<br /><br />We had to ask for some help with the end - I wasn't getting the "heads" part. Once she translated we felt so honored - exploding love from our children - does it get any better?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-65780031039946623572008-11-24T20:15:00.002-06:002008-11-24T20:18:45.046-06:00A Thanksgiving poem by ParisIn the car on the way home from gymnastics tonight Paris was practicing for the program she has at school tomorrow. She began reciting the following poem:<br /><br />"I am thankful for the turkey<br />I am thankful for the pie<br />I am thankful for the corn and bread<br />I am thankful for the squash I'll try<br /><br />Now Mommy, this is just a poem I'm saying. I'm not really going to try squash because that's gross.<br /><br />I am thankful for the toys I have.............."<br /><br />I'm not sure how the poem ended because I was too busy laughing at her disclaimer to hear what she said. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-42008139522493022152008-10-14T19:35:00.002-06:002008-10-14T20:01:07.406-06:00Conferences, Teeth, & PoopI know, that's an odd combination of words. But that what my week has been about. Yesterday we had parent-teacher conferences for Paris & Tripp. Easy was able to go to both of them with me - what a blessing! I know that Tripp's teacher in particular was very pleased to get to meet him. I'll try to post over on Monkey Dance about T's stuff so I'll skip it here.<br /><br />Paris' teacher confirmed what we expected to hear. She's doing very well in school and aside from the periodic need to refocus her attention on her work, Mrs. Ball finds her to be a very pleasant student. What that means for us is simple - she saves all the whining, foolishness, and drama for home. We had a feeling that was the case, but it is now confirmed. At home she seizes up in a crying fit if she can't sound out a word, or shakes her fists at her paper when she has to erase a mistake. She's known to say things like,"I'm no good at writing words" or "I'm not smart enough to..." Baloney. 100% baloney and all saved for the two, well three since she does it to Graggie too, people who love her more than anyone else in the world. I undertand where it comes from - with the Tripp dynamics in the house and all, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. I mean seriously, what do you do when she creates and entire fit complete with tears and shaking over a word in her reader? or having to erase a B that is backwords? So, I figured since she does so well at school we'll just make homeowrk and reading time more like school. Tonight I made her sit at the breakfast table after the littles went to bed to read her book from school. She did fantastic! Who knows, maybe the structure helps......<br /><br />Since I'm talking about the Goose I need to report that unlike the whining baby she pretends to be at home, she is quite the big girl! Today at school she pulled a tooth all by herself! Now, in order for you to understand how AMAZING that is you need to know that the last 2 teeth that came out I had to pull. Both of them took about 45 minutes of prayer, and talking, and bribing, and threatening, and phone calls to Graggie. The drama around homeowork is nothing compared to the drama she dishes up over me pulling a tooth. Needless to say I was quite surprised when she came home today and showed me that she had pulled her own tooth at school! They gave her this neat little tooth shaped carrying box on a pink string so she wouldn't loose it. My big girl! Do you think I could convince her to pull all of them at school? By the way, this is the fourth one she's lost and they are all four right in the front. She now has an enormous empty spot dead center, top & botom. It is so cute!!!!<br /><br />And now for the poop. My sweet little cherub is still refusing to put it in the potty. She has, however, decided that she doesn't want it on her. Result? She poops in her panties or pull-up and then strips. I've had to clean poop out of carpet. One day she stripped and then squatted in her closet and went right on the floor in there. Today she went in her pull-up at school and then proceded to strip. I think they caught it before any hit the floor. And then the best came this afternoon. I hear Paris yell,"Mom! Vivie's got poop!" I look up to see my sweet, beautiful, baby girl walking naked out of Tripp's room with a wad of poop in her hand. Nice. I took her to the bathroom where she promptly threw it in the potty. I took actions that made it very clear that playing with poop is unacceptable and plopped her on the toilet so I could go find the rest of her mess. Turns out, there was no rest. While she sat crying on the potty (apparently the action I took made and impression) she put the rest of her business right where it goes. What I still can't figure out is how there was no poop on the carpet. I mean, did she catch it or what? So I went from mean mommy taking disciplinary action to happy proud mommy handing her candy in under 5 minutes. I know I've asked before, but please - PLEASE, pray that this doesn't last too long. I can't have her stripping with poopy pants in public places. This simply won't do. Oh, and did I mention that she has a nice heat rash across her lower back from her pull-up rubbing when she runs around all day? What's the solution? Poop in the potty Viv, then you won't have to wear a pull-up. Did I mention I HATE POTTY TRAINING??!?!?!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-28485384957712006052008-10-06T07:39:00.002-06:002008-10-06T07:48:14.751-06:00A Nemo MomentThis weekend Paris decided to watch Finding Nemo. She's been watching this moving since she was tiny so we thought nothing of it. I little while later we hear squeals of laughter and our precious daughter repeating over and over "Nemo touched the butt!" We couldn't help but laugh. It took her 6 year sof life to discover that "Nemo touched the butt" (which is actually a boat in case you haven't seen the film) was funny. I'm going to go with peer influence in making a previously innocuous (sp?) statement the joke of the century.<br /><br />I have to also say that this is one area we've done pretty good with as parents. We have a "no buts" rule in our house. Your "butt" is to be referred to with other terms like hiney, caboose, rear end, bottom, and on rare crass occasions - booty. And if a child in our house ever begins a response with "But...." - well, that's a straight to the corner offense. The rule is simple - No Buts.<br /><br />Sadly the "no whining" rule has not been as effective.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-78855625866472825342008-08-26T15:06:00.002-06:002008-08-26T15:25:42.229-06:00And we're off!!!To a really great start too! The first day off school came and went with such little fanfare that it was weird. I walked Paris in to her classroom yesterday and she sat down at her desk and started her work. I had to ask for a sugar before I left. She gave me the sugar along with a look that said, "OK Mom, you can go now." My big girl! First grade seems so much more grown up than Kindergarten did. She has her own desk with her own supplies. They didn't even have desks last year. I go to orientation tonight so I'm sure I'll get more details on what the year will be like. For now I'm just thrilled that she is happy and willing to get out of the car and go in to eat breakfast everyday. Since Tripp will be going to school everyday this year Paris has to eat at school to make our schedule work out right. She loves it and hopped out of the van without even a wave today. Thinking back on the first week of school last year - wow, what a difference!<br /><br />For those of you who might be wondering. I did get a dress for that awards thing with Easy. My Nana insited on giving me $ to buy something new. The really amazing part is that I found a dress that I really loved and man was it a deal! Normally priced $99 - I got it for $23. It took $10 of repair work (it had two popped seams) and it was good to go. I had enough money left to buy a new body shaper thing - my old one was too big! How cool is that?!? I got some new jewelery and a clutch and it was one smashing evening. I got a "wow" from my husband. It was fabulous.<br /><br />So, this weird thing is happening to me. Typically at this sort of event I would feel like I was playing dress up. I would be intimidated by all the people I met and be nervous the whole time. Instead, it was great and fun and felt pretty natural. Between that and Paris starting 1st grade and all the rest of the things happening in my life I'm starting to actually feel like a......grown up. I've often wondered when this would happen. I've even asked my mom before when she started to feel like a grown up. Up until this summer I kind of felt like I was playing at all of it. I don't know what changed exactly, but I don't feel that way anymore. I'm not playing house anymore. This is my home and my family and I am really comfortable being the grown up (along with my amazing Smooch) in the house. Weird, I know.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-10809215592497427072008-08-03T14:40:00.002-06:002008-08-03T14:50:43.257-06:00Not Dressed Up with Somewhere to GoHelp! Easy and I have been asked to attend the Apex Awards for Project Excellence (it's a construction awards thing) with his company and I have absolutely nothing to wear! The event is at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts and the invite says it is "Black Tie Optional." Umm..............yeah, I got nothing.<br /><br />I have a few dresses in my closet that would probably do - if they fit. See, since I started having kids we haven't done anything requiring fancy attire so all my dresses are size pre-pregnant. Well, that's not entirely true. I have the dress that I wore in my brother's wedding. Unfrotunately, it doesn't fit either - it's too big!!! <br /><br />Not only do I have no dress, I have no budget. As I'm wirting this I'm realizing I might be able to have that dress from Matt's wedding taken in so I could wear it. Anyone have a preferred alteration place? Or, anyone have a suggestion on what qualifies as proper attire for an event like this? I know there's a cocktail reception and then the actual awards ceremony. And of course if you have a dress that you think would be perfect and fit me....anyone up for letting me borrow something?<br /><br />The event is on the 21st, so if you read this and have any suggestions, please let me know!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-23676500446783478462008-07-28T00:10:00.002-06:002008-07-28T00:24:34.783-06:00Should be SleepingIt's 1:00 AM. Easy is gone on a fishing trip. I don't sleep much when he's gone. I'm just about tired enough to turn out the lights and sleep on the couch. I'm weird, I know.<br /><br />Anyway...things are definitely looking up in the PT department. I would say that about 50% of all output is making it into the potty. Afternap today she wore the same pull-up until bed and she went TT 3 times - once at church, once in the car potty in the HEB parking lot, and again before bed. So....let mes just say thank you to those of you who continued sending positive thoughts. And thank you Graggie for staying positive while you had the Duchess. I feel pratty confident that when the fall semester starts she'll be wearing panties to pre-school. WooHoo!!!<br /><br />Speaking of the fall semester, things are starting to take shape. I'm working on my schedule and it looks like I'll be just as busy as last year. The biggest difference is that we won't be dealing with the process of getting Tripp's diagnosis. He's going to be in a great program this year and will go to school "all day every day." It feels weird to know he'll be away from me that much, but I know it's what he needs. And if I'm honest I have to say that it will be a much needed break. To know he is well cared for and being pushed to learn and grow in his academics and social skills will be, well sort of a relief. I won't be keeping P&E this semester, but God replaced them with A&O, so it looks like I will have a pretty similar schedule to last year. I'm trying to get geared up for it all, but it just seems like there is SO much to be done and I can't really do any of it yet. Most of requires funds that simply don't exist. A decrease in income (no babysitting or Sonshines school over the summer) and an increase in bills (Childcare and "private sector therapy") has left us strained.<br /><br />Amidst it all though I am reminded of God's great love. He has always provided and continues to do so. On the way to LBC Wednesday I prayed that he would help me find a way to replace the income I had for watching P&E last year. In a matter of hours he had given me A&O and answered their mom's prayer for a job that would be a better fit for her family. So as I sit here, wishing I could go get in bed and sleep peacfully but knowing that instead I will sleeping restlessly on the couch I really don't care so much. In the morning I will wake up and God will still be providing. I might be tired, but I will do my best to follow His lead. So for now I say good night. I'm sure you are all already sleeping well so enjoy your sweet dreams and don't judge if I need a nap tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-16140015538273023642008-07-23T12:09:00.002-06:002008-07-23T12:27:02.223-06:00Progress, What Progress?So after that amazing Thursday things have gotten pretty messy with the Sweet V. She had two #2 success on Friday at home plus a handful of nasty accidents. Saturday - no success and she left to go to my folks for the week. Mom has been diligent and kept her in panties, but I think she's about to give up....and I don't blame her. V has had not 1 single success since she left on Saturday. My poor mom has hardly even gotten to enjoy her visit because of all the focus on the potty. We are very confused.<br /><br />She shows all these signs that she's ready. She stays dry through nap. She sometimes stays dry overnight. When she goes TT in her pull-up she takes it off and puts it in the trash. She tells us she needs to go potty - sometimes before, usually after shes's gone. She doesn't want to wear the pull-ups most of the time. She's had success on the potty. Yet we seem to be getting nowhere.<br /><br />Here's the thing....I'm not sure she has figured out yet how to make herself pee. The 3 success she's had were late in the day and I think we just timed it right so that it was just coming out at the right time. She'll sit on the potty and try to poop then 5 minutes later pee a lake in the floor.<br /><br />So now I have a dilemma. Do I persist in this endeavor or do we pack it in and wait until the Christmas break. I realize that I think in my head that we are behind schedule because Paris was in panties before she hit 2. Vivie is clearly not Paris. If we keep trying at this it wil be very burdensome and probably very confusing. Several days in the week she would have to wear a pull-up to attend the various activities she goes to. Tuesdays she has camp from 9:30-1:30, Wednesday is LBC which we could try in panties, but that's risky and then there is Bible class that night where they prefer that they come in pull-ups until they are truly trained. Thursdays she goes to Erika's all day and I promised I wouldn't send her in panties until she had 3 straight accident free days. So, we'd be left with Mondays, Fridays, evenings, and weekends - except church time on Sunday when we'd be back in the pull-up. So the questions remains, is it even worth trying to continue? I don't know the answer.<br /><br />I keep reminding myself that if we pack it in and wait until Christmas she'll really only be 2 1/2 and probably more ready. I mean, really, it's not like she's heading to kindergarten tomorrow or anything. I just don't want to loose. I want to win this battle now. But at what cost - my sanity? my carpet? endless pairs of cute little panties? Would I really be giving her power by putting it up until Christmas? Would it make it harder in the long run? Or is it that she isn't really ready yet? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!<br /><br />Help - advice is officially being requested. Please leave me comments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-77548750682445434742008-07-17T21:04:00.002-06:002008-07-17T21:15:34.200-06:00Progress, I thinkSo here I am, several days in and my spirits are coming back up. After those successes on day 1, Vivie woke up on day 2 and said no. She went into camel-mode and only TT'd twice the whole day. No success at all. Then came Wednesday. I had decided that my only chance of convincing her this is for real was to keep her in the panties no matter what. So, off we went to Ladies' Class in panties. She didn't have a TT accident, but she did go hide in the playhouse and do her other business. Nice.<br /><br />We got home, she flooded the floor. Later in the afternoon she did the dirty business again so I stood her in the bathtub, turned on the cold water and used a pitcher to rinse her off. She did NOT like that. Somehow she stayed dry all the way through Bible class that night and then final went in the potty when we got home.<br /><br />Today was similar. She gets the poop thing better than the TT. Here's the really good part though. We left the house this evening about 5:30. While we were out at my parents' lot doing some measurements for their house she TOLD ME she had to go. I got out our trusty little car potty and she put the dirty business in with no problem. After that she lasted through Wal-Mart, Sam's and HEB. While Easy was loading the groceries into the car I had her sit on the car potty again and.....she TT'd!!!!! I'm thinking this is progress. She didn't fuss or complain. She saw me get the potty, she said "go potty", and then she actually went potty!<br /><br />So, I'm sticking to my guns and she's staying in panties. She leaves on Saturday to go on her first Graggie/Dadoo vacation. Poor them - they'll have to stick to my guns for me! I know Graggie is on board though so it will all be fine.<br /><br />Thanks for all the encouraging comments both here and in person - you sweet friends are what have helped me stay the course. In a few short months I won't even really remember what it's like to have to change diapers all the time! Hey Sherri - could you do that hip swirl thing for me?!?!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-59534314138948797632008-07-15T08:43:00.002-06:002008-07-15T08:51:22.472-06:00PT, Round 2Well, we started potty training with Vivie yesterday. For those of you who read on a regular basis, you may recall that we tried this back over spring break. She wasn't ready. I think we'll get it done this time though.<br /><br />Day one stats:<br /><br />#1 - 6 out, 1 in<br />#2 - 1 out, 5 in<br /><br />Now, I look at thses numbers and I think - Seriously, who poops 6 times in one day?!?! I'm not going to complain though. Th majority of that went in the potty. If I had to choose between changing/cleaning TT panties or poopy panties, I'm gonna pick TT everytime.<br /><br />I was very pleased with the 1 TT in the potty. It was after naptime (which she stayed dry through by the way) and it was a serisouly big TT. I swear you could see a light bulb go on over her head while she was doing it too. The weird part is that she didn't pee again at all the rest of the day. Weird little child.<br /><br />Anywho, please send positive thoughts and if your willing to pray for potty training, please do. Perhaps you could just pray for my sanity. Tomorrow is the only day this week we will be leaving the house so I imagine my mind will start to go about noon on Thursday. Wish us luck.........Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-6860164599825768272008-07-01T17:52:00.002-06:002008-07-01T18:12:58.319-06:00In the BackMy sweet Paris has turned 6 years old. She has 4 (!) loose teeth - the four right in front. Chances are good she will start first grade looking a little silly with no teeth in front. It is very weird to have a 6 year old. Somehow it just sounds so much older than 5.<br /><br />Anyway, we have had a lot of fetivities surrounding her b-day. We started out the whole process by having her make a guest list. Yikes! There were 25+ names and she wasn't even including some of our close family friends! So, we made a new plan. We decided to have two parties. One for Paris' friends and one for family and "our" friends. There would be kids at both parties so I thought it was a good plan. I had her cut down the "friends" party list to 12. I think 6 made it. That was a good manageable number. That party was the Saturday before her b-day.<br /><br />On her b-day we had big plans. She was to have an ealry breakfast with her Daddy at Denny's, then MOPO time while her siblings were at school including lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese's, then her butterfly friends were coming over from 3-5 for a fun day, and lastly - her favorite babysitter was coming over and bringing her tiny little dog as a treat. It didn't quite work out like that though. We needed to take Nana to the doctor, and wound up putting her in the hospital that day. The lunch and butterfly stuff got canceled completely. She did have breakfast with her daddy, then got to spend practically all day with some of our family friends - which included lunch out at Chili's, and then Miss Ashley came over and brought Bitsy. It wasn't what we planned, but it was a great birthday!<br /><br />This past Sunday we had the family/close friends party. We wound up with almost no kids there. The R & J families couldn't make it. I wasn't to worried because I knew that the H family was coming and that's 4 kiddos right there. Then the phone rang. One of the H girls was sick. "Just bring G out and drop him off" I pleaded. I couldn't stand the thought of Paris being the oldest child (by 2 years) for the whole day. So G got to come. Now, Paris and G have an interesting relationship. We carpooled this year and they became fast friends. G is 9, Paris is newly 6. Listening to these two talk is hilarious. They can be having two completely different conversations and somehow they know what's going on. They are brutally honest with each other, but each considers the other a very special friend. When our cat Samson got really sick Paris told G to make a card for her (no, she didn't ask, she told) and he did. They traded little trinket toys on a weekly basis. And when they were both tired they yelled at each other. It was fun watching their friendship grow. All that to explain that it was important to both of them that G get to be at the party.<br /><br />So................knowing how bluntly they communicate.....................here's the best quote of Paris' entire birthday week extravaganza (this story came to me via my big brother who witnessed the interaction).<br /><br />Paris & G were playing in Tripp's room (I think). G had a toy home depot drill. You pull this string and then when you push the point in it makes drilling noise. He pulls the string and proceeds to "drill" into Paris back. Paris turns around and says very matter of factly:<br /><br />"G, I've told you before. I don't like to be screwed in the back."<br /><br />Well said my precious princess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14529764.post-15944249400296980272008-06-18T11:33:00.002-06:002008-06-18T11:50:36.744-06:00Trash TalkAnd I mean the actual trash in the can. As many of you know, I can be very passive agressive when it comes to the trash in my house. I grew up in a house where the Daddy took care of the trash. When Matt and I got old enough it became one of our chores. Trash came twice a week - you gather everything in the house and take to the curb and you also take out the kitchen trash daily. That's how it worked.<br /><br />Well, now I'm all grown up and married and in my mind the trash is not my job. I do laundry, cleaning, most of the cooking, the majority of the kitchen clean-up.....I don't do trash. I know that sounds a bit rude and my intent is not to say Easy doesn't do his fair share. My man works harder than anyone I know. It has become evident over the course of our marriage, however, that he does not fully embrace trash as his job.<br /><br />I've been known to stack the trash two foot high above the garbage can. Sometimes I'll grab another trash bag and fill it up and put it on the floor next to the trash can. I used to take it out sometimes and pile it in front of the back door so he'd have to move it to get in the house. We have a cat now (in the garage) so that's not a good idea, but I have put it all in the laundry room so it's still in his way.<br /><br />I realize this is immature, rude, petty, and oh so very passive agressive. See, I never complain about the trash to my man. I just pile it up and refuse to take it to the trash cans outside. Yes, shame on me - I know.<br /><br />Just a few nights ago we had this talk about "the little things." I won't delve into the details, but I was commenting that those little things really do make an impact on my willingness to be, um, intimate. Yesterday Easy called and asked me to pick up his laundry at the cleaner's. I did and when I got home it occurred to me that this was a little thing. I usually pick up his cleaning and leave it my car until he gets home and gets it himself. Seriously, I have 3 kids and their stuff and my stuff to get out and in the house. This drives him nuts as his laundry is usually laying flat and not hanging up in the car. So yesterday I brought the laundry in and hung it in his closet. He noticed. He smiled. He then laughed when I told him that I figured if I was going to whine about the little things I probably should be willing to do some of them!<br /><br />So today - I took out the trash. The kitchen and laundry room trash cans were overflowing. I started stacking around noon yesterday so we had a good 3 bags worth of trash sitting in those two rooms. I suppose God reminded me that trash is a little thing in the grand scope of life - so I took it out. <br /><br />We all have trash of our own. How blessed we are that even when we've let it pile up and overflow all we need to do is go to our Father and say, "Please, take this from me." Then He loads up all our messy sins and stinky attitudes, and moldy thoughts and takes out our trash. How blessed indeed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2