Welcome to OUR World!: March 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Our Adventures in Clumsiness....

My Poor baby and his broken toe....
Bruised and Swollen!!!!

So Sean decided that it would be in his best interest to come barrelling down the stairs just before dinner last night. As we heard him fall down a couple stairs and start screaming at the top of his lungs we realized something BAD had just happened.

After getting the whole story from his little sister, it appears that instead of stepping on the bottom of his foot he stepped on the very top of his toe as he was coming around the corner, since he was running it happened with alot of pressure and he felt a pop.

We sat him down, iced it, looked it over, he could wiggle it so we assumed it was just jammed a little. We gave him some pain meds and sent him to bed.....

After listening to him whine in his sleep ALL night long, and then being woken up at 6am (on a Sunday morning) to him crying and limping into my room telling me that it hurts LOTS worse. We checked it out and found it extremely swollen and bruised......

So off to the doctor we went. After a crappy experience at the ER full of doctors and staff that dont get children with Nuerological disorders..... UGH!!! We got an answer, He chipped his growth plate in his BIG toe. Nothing they can do but medicate him to make him comfortable while it heals, may take 3-4 weeks.... Yikes, its been a FUN day needless to say.

So Sean was isolated to a couch or the floor propping his foot no matter what, and we had to ice it 4 times today..... He LOVED every minute of it.... NOT!!!

So we have to take it easy for the next week and re-evaluate. Gotta love it.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

St Pattys Day....

Our Day of GREEN.
I know I am a freak, I try to do something special every St. Pattys Day, not only do we have some Irish in our ancestory, but I LOVE GREEN and what better holiday to celebrate with the color GREEN!!!!

So this year since I didnt have to work and since I had the day with the kids all by myself I decided to go ALL out. No holds barred.....

So since Brandon couldnt be here, and we didnt want him to feel left out, I stayed up late the night before and made him a special lunch and breakfast.....

Breakfast: Green French Toast and Green Eggs with Green Ham Omlette
Lunch: Green Egg Salad Sandwich on Green Bread, Green Jello with Green Grapes, Cucumbers, Green Vanilla Pudding Pie with Green M&M's and Green Powerade.

Then it was time to get things going for the kiddos, They were SO mad at me because I made them go take a shower and get dressed (in their green of course) and stay isolated up stairs until I had breakfast ready and the table decorated.....

They were SO surprised and loved every bit of it.....

Their Breakfast was: Green Eggs, Green Ham with Herbs, Green Shamrock Shaped Biscuits, and a Green Shamrock Shake.....

Then it was time for Arts and Crafts....

They made their own "Lucky" Hats, They made a Leprechaun out of their hand print, and then made a fruit loop rainbow.....
This kept them busy so that I could get our picnic lunch packed.....

Off to the Park, for playtime and a picnic lunch... We also fed the ducks the left over biscuits from breakfast.....

Playtime:

Feeding the Ducks:

Lunch Time:
Green Egg Salad with Lettuce and Cheese on Green Bread, Green Jello with Green Grapes, Green Fruit Salad with Green Apples, Green Grapes and Kiwi mixed with Green Cool Whip; Cucumbers, Green Powerade and Green M&M's

Dessert Time:
Green Vanilla Pudding Pie(with Lime Juice) topped with Kiwi

After a little more playtime it was time to get out of the crazy sun and head home for more fun activities......
St. Pattys Day was the hottest day of the week and we were ROASTING that day.....

So at home it was time for brain work, I saved the best stuff for last. We read the legend of St. Patrick and learned more about Ireland and the St. Pattys Day traditions.... We also did Crosswords, Wordsearches and a Maze.....
The kids thought it was funny that the little Leprechaun on the Maze was named Sean too. That led us to the conversation on why Sean was named Sean and that his name is Irish based.... Its always FUN when we can make FUN time a LEARNING time as well.....

For dinner it was Crock Pot Shephards Pie with Green Turkey and Onions..... The family raved on how yummy it was... I didnt try it, after the day in the sun and all the dairy I was not feeling well... Brandon was great and let me sleep while he fed the kids dinner.

I love these kiddos, they are great, even when I am feeling icky and not wanting to be bothered they always find ways of making me laugh, they are the best.
XOXOXOX

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Cooking with the Kiddos....

So we have recently started letting the kids be involved in cooking when its safe and they are interested. I am still REAL nervous about letting them be near the stove and oven, and about letting them use sharp utensils.... BUT nevertheless we have been cooking.

I took some pictures of our latest adventure, They LOVE Mommies Chicken Enchiladas and decided they want to know whats in them and how to make them.

So here it goes.... Starting with the Recipe:
You will need:

1 to 1 1/2 Pounds of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
One 10 3/4 Ounce Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
8 ounces of Sour Cream
One small can of Green Chilies
One can of sliced Black Olives
12 Small Corn Tortillas
2 Cups of Mexi Blend Cheese

I Preheat the oven to 375 degrees,
Then I pre-cut the chicken up into 1 inch squares and cooked it up as well, then dumped it in the bowl for the kids. And we pre-cut the tortillas into 1 inch strips as well (you can cut them as small or large as you like as long as they are cut up it will work for the casserole style dish)

Then it was time for them to get to mix it all up:
Luckily it doesnt have to be mixed in any particular order so this is easy for them to do.

Mix it through real good, make sure the tortillas are covered in the gooey mixture, Now its time to pour it in the Casserole Dish (Or 13x9 Pan, whichever you have):

Spread it out evenly:

Top it with Cheese:

Voila, Its Ready for the Oven (375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until its bubbly):

Enjoying the fruits of our labors:
(Add Refried Beans and Mexican Rice to the side and you have a nice Mexican meal; You can also top it with chopped tomatoes in the last 5 minutes of cooking, that makes it real yummy too, We just didnt have any tomatoes this time)

Two thumbs up from the kiddos:

On to the next adventure!!!!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Lexis Mini Dance Recital....

Today was Lexis last dance class and they let the parents come in to see a dance they had put together with what they are learning in class. It was too cute, and they learned this in less than an hour. They are SO sdorable and she has so much FUN!!!

Click here to see the Video

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My Home Business....

For those of you who havent heard I have started an at home business. You can check out the info on my Facebook Group for Knick-Knacks 'N More; on the Business Blog, or on the Website. You can also follow us on Twitter or add us as a friend on Myspace.

Enjoy, Pass this on to friends and family, and Happy Shopping!!!
P.S. For the Month of March as a Grand Opening Special I am offering 15% off of your first purchase of $50 or more. You can pass that info on too.

More About Us.....

Sean is doing AMAZINGLY well (considering), If you missed the last couple updates Sean has been diagnosed with Aspergers (High Functioning Autism). It was a tough road to get to that end result, but we are picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off and moving on in the direction that is best for the little man. Always making sure that the end result will be in his best interest.

Sean was able to be a part of a program this last couple years that has helped immensely with his sensory needs, coping mechanisms, language helps and keeping him on track educationally without the chaos of a "normal" classroom getting in the way. He made so many friends, friends that understand him and his quirks and LOVE him despite them. He was finally able to see that there are people out there like him and he is not alone in the world. We were SO blessed to have that oppurtunity. After a couple months of waiting for the new school year and homeschooling he is back in the program at a new campus and loving it (Pieceful Solutions) they are a God send for us. This next school year they are going private BUT due to a scholarship program offered by the state we are able to continue him in this amazing program AND their new campus is right around the corner from us. Couldnt be happier for them or for our little man. New adventures on the horizon. SO exciting! Check back to see how our Aspie survives the new school year at his new campus!!!

Lexi has had a rough school year last year BUT she is LOVING her new school and her new teacher, her and her BFF (in Florida) are enjoying being pen pals still. Miles cannot come between them, they are still forever friends and always have each others backs. Its nice for her to have a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen from someone who is her "two peas in a pod" bud and will always get what she is going through. She loves her and misses her terribly, but they are making it through. They are both SO excited (AND so are us moms) that we will be taking a vacation to Florida in July to see them. Its been over a year and we miss them SO much. Cant wait. It will be a great adventure; first trip to Disney World, first flight and reuniting with great friends.

After a couple months of being homeschooled last year (which really turned out to be a great experience for both of us despite the added stress at times) Lexi is very excited about being back in a brick and mortar school. She is enjoying the cheer and dance club as well and chapel time on Fridays. Its been great for her to make new friends. This year has been tough again, ups and downs with friends. BUT she is learning to make it through and cope with the fact that not everyone is nice and kind all the time. She has had a boyfriend this year and they are adorably cute together. This year has not been without its drama, but we are expecting that to be the new norm as the kids get older. If we can just make it day by day, step by step we will make it through. Keep checking back for updates on her going ons at school and with her friends.

For both kids this new school year is a BIG change and an oppurtunity for them to grown in their own ways, It has been good for them to have much different experiences and growths. As much as they grow apart in some ways they are growing closer in others. Its been a struggle, but a good life lesson for Sean to be attending Lexis class for some parts of the day. Its good to watch her friends reach out to him, and to hear her want to stand up for him with the couple kids that dont understand him. Hopefully this trend will continue and they will remain close. As much as they get on each others nerves, they both know they have each others backs. We have made it through most of the year and in one peice, thats progress in and of itself =) Hoping this will continue next year as Lexi moves onto her Middle School Campus and Sean moves onto his new campus. This will be the biggest change ever for them, Two totally different schools, new adventures around the corner.

Brandon has been working hard and traveling ALOT (still, some things never change). We have been VERY blessed that he has been able to keep steady work this last couple years or so with the economy the way that it is. And we are hoping that it just stays that way. He is looking forward to our vacation this summer and a break from work. He is getting close to burn out but hanging in there. He is AMAZING and we appreciate the hard work that he does for our family. We love him dearly and miss him like crazy!

As for me: I have been enjoying just being a mom and having the oppurtunity to help my kids learn and grow this last year or so. I was blessed with the oppurtunity to give them all of me and everything they needed this last year. And they blessed me right back with a few lessons I needed to get out of life on perserverance and endurance. I love those guys to peices; and none of it would have been possible without the hard work of my loving husband. He is amazing, and although things arent always perfect between us he never gives up and always fights hard to provide us with everything we need. I love him more than words can describe.

I am looking forward to this school year and being able to take a more stand off approach. Still being involved but seeing how much they can flourish on their own. Still being there to help them with homework and attend their fieldtrips and events. Still helping occasionally in the class, but allowing them space to thrive. The stand off approach has been good for all of us, they are settling into that well. They know I am around when they need me but they are becoming much more independent. Love those little monkies!