In memory

Hubby sent me a YouTube link that he was a little nervous about sending. Since my brother has gone back to Afganistan, Hubby knows how emotional I get about these sorts of things.

This video is an amazing testament to the men (and one woman) solider that are doing what they do best. If you have some time - yes, it is long - please take the time to watch this. My brother's friend is the last one on the video.

This and that

This afternoon I get to attend my last-ever “Meet the Creature (I mean Teacher)” night at S’s school. S has the same teacher as last year, and I’ve known her socially for at least five years, but we are still going. S really wants me to meet his new French teacher for some reason. (I guess he just needs someone/something to be new to justify our going.)

Had an ADHD information session to attend last night. It was an open discussion evening, with primary focus being on the development of an IEP. I was the moderator for the discussion, and although there wasn’t a lot in attendance, we had three new people there. All of them are fairly new to the world of ADHD and special education. Its nights like this that keeps me involved in this association. When you see the relief in other parent’s eyes, the simple understanding that all in attendance truly GET IT, well, it makes the hard work justified in some way. I’m glad that we are able to offer a support system for parents – I just wish we had more people that would help us provide this support. I understand life is busy – I feel like the epitome of ‘busy’ right now – but I still find (or make) the time to do what I can.

At work yesterday, I felt like I was glued to my chair with a lifeline extended from my fingers to the keyboard. Was working on a big presentation that Boss will be making on Friday and we got down to the final crunch-time. Got it all done, but whew, was I ever beat when I finally left work. (Then headed straight to my ADHD meeting…)

The A-man was very disappointed in the cancelled date, but I guess R was also upset. Which is a good thing, too, I suppose. (Would have been much worse if she’d been blasé about it all.) We went and saw “Momma Mia” on Tuesday night to help ease the pain. I had seen the play a couple of times and have the CD. (Big ABBA fan, I suppose.)
The movie was good. Very different from the play in that there was (obviously) a lot more scenery and the movie allowed them to show a lot more details than you can get on stage. There were some scene/setting changes, but I still enjoyed it. Even got choked up at the ‘sad’ part – even though I knew the end. Glenn Close did a very good job with her part, and Colin Firth in a 70’s jumpsuit was truly a sight to behold!
Both boys enjoyed the movie, and I’m pretty sure it will become a movie we will own in our house once it’s out on DVD. (Couple of sexual innuendos I was uncomfortable with S seeing, but I doubt it’s not anything he hasn’t seen before…)

Hubby is on nights this week and next, and next week I have something going on every single night of the week, and then a work/fun weekend in Montreal. This week is/was also a week of things going on every night – including a double booked night tonight. We have a wedding this weekend – S’s Godparent’s daughter is getting married on Saturday. Her first crush (when she was 7) had been on Hubby. She figured she would marry him when I was ‘finished’ with him. We tease her constantly about that still.

Looking forward to the long weekend that is coming up!

Visual DNA and "the date"

Cuz always sends me the most interesting website links. I took this Visual DNA test today and was amazed at how accurate it was. It doesn’t take long, nor is it difficult – try it yourself and see if you found that it gives a pretty good summary of who you are, just based on the photos you select.

Well, tonight is the night of “the big date.” I’m not sure if he is nervous, but I will have about 15 minutes alone with him while we are going to pick up this sweet girl, so I guess I will get a chance to gauge his mood then. (I’m probably more excited than he is!)
Will keep you posted!
~~~
3:11pm - I receive a text message from the A-man - "Cancel on the movies. R's dad said no"
Oh - my poor baby!! I texted him back something to the effect of "Bummer" and then asked if he was okay. His response? "I'll live, but I'm upset about it"
How sad. I'm sure R was/is just as upset as the A-man is!
End result, when I asked if there was anything I could do, he asked if I would take him and his brother to see the movie.
The show starts at 7:05 at the theatre I will be taking them to.

Challenges, and growing up...

I sent an email to the SERT asking who is responsible for making sure S gets textbook information scanned in to his laptop. The answer surprised me. S is responsible for this very important step! Not his teacher, not his EA, not even the SERT - but the student!
Yes, the student with the attention skills similar to that of a goldfish has to remember to take his laptop to a special room, hook it up to the scanner, then remember which pages he is required to get on to the system.

I realize this is not a difficult task, but was actually quite surprised that this had never been explained to me before. When I asked S about it over the weekend, he told me that he knew how to do it, but that the scanner hasn't been working. (ARGHGGHGH!!)

I am going to put a call in to the school's SERT today just to clarify a few things - such as when he is supposed to be doing this scanning, etc. If I have to, I will take my lunch breaks to come in and make sure he gets what he needs scanned!
Nuts, nuts, nuts.
----
Now, away from the school issues for a little while. My baby is growing up.

The A-man will be going on his first date tomorrow night.
He has liked this girl since he was in Grade 8, but never said anything to her about it. In Grade 9, he eventually got up the nerve to tell her that he liked her, and she told him that she knew that. Apparently she wasn't allowed to date until she was 18, so the A-man didn't go any further.
Last week, the A-man told me he was going to ask this girl out on a date - her parents have relaxed the 18-dating-age rule. He had wanted to go out on the weekend, but we were going to be away, so I suggested going to the movie on Tuesday since it's the cheaper night, and they could just stay in town after school and have dinner first.
The A-man seemed to think that wasn't a bad idea, but then I never heard another word about it!

As we were coming home from the cottage yesterday, and I'm mentally planning my week's schedule, I suddenly remembered the conversation and asked if he was going to the movies this Tuesday.
He is. Apparently she wants to have a few others come to, but knowing this girl, I can understand why - she is very shy. (Very sweet, but very shy.)

He is just so cute about it all. I had a brief chance to talk to him about it this morning before S joined us for breakfast, but I know he wants this to be quiet for a while as S will tease him non-stop once he hears about it. I am going to talk to him more about it tonight.

My baby - going on a date! I'm not sure if I am thrilled for him, or nauseous about the thought!!

Homework, business, funny dog...

I was helping S with his History homework tonight. As I was sitting there, reading the information to him from the text book, then acting as scribe for the essay-type answers that were required, I was sitting there wondering, "Why did the school provide S with a laptop that does all this stuff if they aren't going to send it home with him?"

I have put a note in his agenda indicating that I would like to see the text book scanned into the computer and that the computer comes home with him when he has any homework. I will also be sending an email to the SERT letting her know that the computer has only been home a total of ONE TIME since the start of the school year. (He's in Grade 8 - big year. Think he should have the 'essential' equipment a little more often...)

Been a bit of a crazy week for me. Training the new assistant is going well. After three days, I told Boss that I feel much more postive about this one than I did the one we had hired last year. He agreed. Worked overtime a couple nights this week, just to make sure advertisements were delivered to publications on time, approvals were received, that sort of thing. Plus I have been trying to get myself in to my fitness classes on a regular basis. No wonder I'm beat and looking forward to the weekend.

We are going to the cottage this weekend. I was actually really looking forward to a weekend at home with nothing going on, but my Dad needs help getting the boat out of the water. This will be the last time we go up this year. We may spend a night there during the Christmas holidays, but I would say that when we leave on Sunday, we won't be back until May. This summer went by WAY too quickly.

Speaking of time passing quickly; I realized today that I have something going on every single weekend between now and the start of November! Some of it is work related, some is not, but every. single. weekend. I'm tired.

~~~
I've mentioned my "dumb beagle" on here a few times, I'm sure. Well, here is a link to a YouTube video that will show you a "not so dumb beagle!" It's something to see, that is for sure.

This, that & the other...

Some day, maybe, (if I am lucky) my son's will realize that they will not win the battle of the wills when it comes to doing their homework.

It's not like EITHER of them even had much homework tonight, but you would have thought they were being sent to the electric chair by the carrying-on when I told them it had to be done.

As it is, the A-man missed school yesterday because he was ill, so I am still a little unsure as to how it is that he didn't have to do catch up work. Regardless, he did comment to me that he had been given a History assignment today, but didn't tell me when it was do. Gosh darn it all - I asked during dinner, and then made him get working on it right afterwards.
Yes, I know - I am so mean.

To make matters worse, S had math homework and I made HIM work on it right after supper too! Yes, I really did.

Total time spent fighting about when and where homework would be done - about 15 minutes. Total time spent actually doing said homework - about 15 for the A-man and maybe 25 for S because he needed a bit more explanation.
Had they just gone about the task and done what they needed, all of us would have been able to spend more time doing what we WANTED to do! (Maybe they will start to get that?? Maybe, hopefully?!?!?!!)

At least it is done now.
~~
On the work front, new assistant started in the office today. She is very young, and VERY quiet. I'm not sure how she is going to handle our busy, fast-paced, not-quiet-for-long office. Boss figures she will come out of her shell once she gets more used both us and the general hum of the office. He met her at her last job and he told me she was quite a bit more lively than what I saw today.
She is a nice enough girl - seems very smart - but she just sort of sits and listens and then calmly goes about the task presented to her. She doesn't ask many questions, but I am thinking it is simply because she is a bit overwhelmed by everything we had told her both during the interview process, and again as today went on.

I am not complaining though - one task that I have been letting sit on the back-burner since June got completed today in her first three hours! Now I just have to send the package off to the client and I don't have to worry about THAT for another 9.5 months. See, a lot of what we will need her to do isn't actually difficult - it's more of the tedious, monotonous-type jobs that are, well, sort of boring-but-still-really-need- to-be-done type jobs that we need her to do for us.

• reorganizing files
• putting photo disks in order by client, in order by photo
• file payables
• placing newspaper ads
• checking that newspapers bill correctly

Not the most glamour-filled job I know, but once we get a feel for how she works, etc., I am sure we will be able to mold the position around her. (Such a great thing about working for a small but busy office - jobs that you both like and are good at suddenly become your responsibility!)

Yesterday the sales guy went home before lunch time because he wasn't feeling right. He told me that he just needed to get rid of the heart-burn and he was sure he would be okay. Yesterday afternoon he called me to let me know that he won't be in for a while - turns out it was a heart condition of some sort, and he was being transferred to a different hospital! Boss called him last night and found out he was going to have an angioplasty today and would be out of commission for the next two weeks!

Just goes to show you - ya just never know.

On that note, I am off to do my Wii Fit Yoga and strength-training workout!

A birthday poem

This morning I signed on to Facebook to discover Bear's son had written a poem for my 40th birthday.
He was at my 'surprise' birthday party on Saturday night, and I think he had a fun time.
I was the first to change his diaper because his mom didn't know what to do with "the extra parts" that her then two-year daughter didn't have. I visited him in the hospital when his ashama was bad, and his mom was exhausted and needed a break.
One year, he came trick or treating with me and my sons - just because.
When he won an award at his Grade 8 graduation, I think I was beaming as much as him own mom! ( took lots of pictures!!)

He's 14, and a great kid. I love him dearly; and from this poem (which his mom told me took him 45 minutes to write...) I would say the feeling is mutual.

I feel so loved. :o)

~~

I've know you since I was born
I've know you since i first ate corn.
You've watch, you've listened;
You've cared all along
And all I can think is that it's been way too long.

I miss the times we had
Even if i was mad.
Because I know
That you show
The true qualities of a friend.

You've been there through the good and the bad,
The happy and the sad,
And no matter what you've never been mad ...( at least not at me :) )

If there's one thing that I can say
It's that there's no one I would rather have as a replacement mom.

I don't see you a lot, but I know when I see your face that I'm ok; and if I ever need you, that you will be there and that is my gift to you; if being the one who cares if no one else does the one who will listen if needed, and the one who idiolizes you for being you. Caring and generous, more then happy to help - that is you. That is my replacement mom; that is Jori the yesterday- birthday girl.

Fridays & weekends

aaahhh.... Friday evening.... I love Friday evenings. Sitting here with my sweatpants on, warm comfy shirt... all is quiet in the house. Fridays are, quite simply, the best way to start a weekend. :o)

This morning was pretty good for getting the boys off to school. I was tired again, and not really wanting to get out of bed, but after I got motivated to do so, everything else just sort of fell in to place.

After work I had an appointment, then went to have coffee with a friend of mine. Now, I'm sitting here trying to warm up from the damp, wet outside, and trying to figure out my plan of attack on the household chores that need to be completed. Laundry is almost caught up, too.

It's hard when I have work weekends - I feel like I missed so much when I am away for one. I don't get the same amount of down time, I don't get to just BE.
I'm really working on letting myself simply BE. I follow a blog where the blogger often talks about the importance of living in the moment, and when I read her wise words, I often find myself wishing I was able to do that. I simply can't get my mind to live in the current moment; to not think about doing a) then b) and then c.) I can see how that approach can be very beneficial - I just have to learn how to do this.

Maybe someday.

Have a nice weekend, all. I know I am looking forward to mine - even if the weather isn't going to be the best!

Better morning. Only slightly though

For the third day in a row, I have found myself getting angry with S because he just won't get out of bed!
This morning, though, when I went in to his room to get him up, I woke him with a glass of water and his medications in my hand. I thought that if I got the ADHD medication in to him right away, maybe the rest of the morning would go a little smoother than normal. After he actually got up, it did go better.
That's the trick - get the meds in to the body as soon as they wake up. (Will repeat this step for sure.)

Hubby had the task of making sure S completed his homework last night. It was Science, I do believe. S brought his laptop home for the first time this year, too. He told me that his scanner still isn't working, but the principal and the SERT have both assured him that it will be working within the week.

Had a note in the agenda from the EA the other day about S needing certain things for his French class. Part of the note was crossed off by the SERT asking me to send her an email about this.
The SERT is trying to introduce a Social Skills class to the school, and the class would replace the French class. To date, she hasn't been able to get everything finalized for the class, but the SERT has informed the French teacher of the possible exemption, so I guess they have worked out an accommodated program for S. Again - what a crazy concept. Why didn't I ever think of that in the past?

Oh, that's right - I did. And the teacher refused to have anything to do with any accommodations. Gee, I'm really going to miss that teacher...

The A-man is still really enjoying his Hospitality and Tourism course. He hasn't really said much about the other classes, other than to complain about having a History project assigned on the second day of school. Project is due tomorrow, but he claims he turned it in on Tuesday. I really wish he had let me see the end result before he turned it in. (He needs a bit of assistance with his proof-reading...)
I know I need to let go a bit on the follow up, but I've had to do it for so long, it's a tough one for me to do. I don't want to tell him how to DO the work - I just want to be able to ensure it's his BEST work. (Okay, okay - I hear you... let him turn it in and deal with the consequences. It's just really hard to do that!!)

Had flowers delivered to the office for me yesterday. Pretty autumn coloured centre piece. Jazzy's mom and I met for lunch today, and she gave me a bouquet of sunflowers. I feel so loved. :o)

Cuz gave me the cutest kettle I have ever seen! I will be taking some pictures tonight and should be able to get them on here in a while. I love days that are "all about me!!"

argh!!!

What. A. Flipping. Morning!!

Last night was a hellish night as I was helping S with his homework.
First off, when I got home from work, I noticed that neither boy did their nightly chores. Then, after dinner we had to broach the whole 'homework' issue.
S had homework in History, Geography and Math. His idea of doing his math was putting a bunch of question marks on his sheet and telling me he was going to get his EA to help him with it. Yeah, that went over like a lead balloon. Little brat simply didn't READ what he was supposed to do. Once I read it to him, it was amazing how quickly those 10 questions were answered.
Fights and tears... yeah, good times.

This morning, like yesterday morning, he was just here, there and everywhere. I just want to scream at him, "WOULD YOU FOCUS FOR JUST 3 MINUTES???!!?!?!?"
My SIL is here this morning because we are going to the funeral in a few hours, and after both boys were gone, she was just shaking her head saying, "I don't know how you do that every day. I would be insane." Gotta love ADHD.

And here is the kicker - it's better than is used to be. I am still going crazy with the nonsense and silliness, and things are better! No wonder I was stressed to the breaking point a few years ago.

Then, to make matters worse, the A-man is outside waiting for his bus and 15 minutes pass. I do not have time today to run him into school. The school is half an hour the opposite way of where we are going and we are on a timeline today. Turns out the driver was a sub and he got lost on our rural roads. Showed up almost 20 minutes late, going the wrong way on our street...
The A-man sent me a text telling me to take a deep breath. (snicker...)

Probably doesn't help that SIL made Hubby and I sit up with her and have a couple glasses of wine last night...

Not a doctor

I’ve had someone ask me about my opinions on the non-medical aspects of treating disorders such as my sons.

Would I consider alternative therapies? Sure, I would consider them, but I would also ask my medical professional their opinions about such therapies, I would do a lot of reading and research on these therapies, and I would also talk to the person that would be administering said therapies before I made a final judgment call.

Would I recommend therapies 1. 2. and 3. as an alternative for someone else’s child? Nope.
I am not a doctor, do not claim to have any education within the medical field, nor an expert on anything that is medically related. Quite simply, I am a parent that has learned over the years to cope with the disorders that affect my sons.

Now, when I learned about S’s Asperger’s, I will admit that I talked about it with my chiropractor. I talked about it with him more because he is a friend than anything else, but I also wanted his opinion on the left brain/right brain theories I had read about.
He suggested that weekly treatments may help determine a pattern of behaviour, but also indicated that he would have to provide treatment for quite a while to really start to formulate and track a pattern based on the manipulations required and the behavioural aspects. The adjustments would focus strictly on the 1st and 2nd sections of the spine – no other manipulations would be done.

Prior to starting this treatment, I did send an email to S’s doctor asking if he thought this type of treatment would be detrimental in any way. The doctor surprised me when he replied saying that there having been some studies on the manipulation of certain segments of the spine, but he didn’t know that this treatment would actually be of a benefit to S. After some careful consideration, Hubby and I thought we would go ahead with the treatments. If the chiro was able to determine something within the time frame we had established, great. If not, that was fine too.

Over the time that S was going to see the chiro on a weekly basis, we did notice that the base of the skull did tend to pull to the right more than normal, but there was never a set pattern established. We didn’t continue with the treatments over the summer simply because of the geographical constraints. Nothing has been discussed for this school year, and to be honest, I am not sure that it was a necessary expense.

Sometimes I feel that alternative therapies also have to be worth the cost. Most medical plans don’t cover the cost of alternative therapies; which can get very costly over the long run. Another consideration – why do you want to look at alternative therapies? Is it because you don’t trust conventional Western medicine, or is it because you don’t want to give your child drugs? These are all very personal choices; ones that only you can make.

My only advice – let the buyer beware. There are no magical remedies out there that will be able to ‘cure’ these disorders. There are no cures – if there were, we would already know about them. Many companies that sell natural remedies make claims, but there is no quantifiable proof that they really do work in the way advertised.

If you are considering herbal supplements, or special diet, make sure you are well informed, and very comfortable with the person that will be assisting. Check out their background, and their education. If you are unsure, don’t start your child on anything until you ARE sure.

LEV, thanks for reading my blog and asking me my opinion. I really do understand how difficult and upseting it is during the time of looking for what may be going on with your child. I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to answer your questions more clearly; if you would like, you can email me directly at lupusawareness(at)hotmail(dot)com and we can get in to more specifics.

Weekend of endings...

Another weekend show - done. Thankfully.

Friday - rained. Saturday morning - misty rain, then rest of day was beautiful. Sunday - rained all morning and into afternoon. What a weekend to be participating in an outdoor event...
When we arrived to our booth this morning, I discovered our booth had been vandalized. It was a terrible feeling to see everything strewn about. Although it's not the same as a home being broken in to, I can certainly understand how a person would simply feel angry at having a stranger go through your things. Fortunately we don't keep anything of any real value in our booth - marketing literature isn't really something vandals go for. They showed their dissatisfaction by dumping bins, tossing papers and (for whatever reason) tossing ballots around the area. What a great way to start the day. In the rain.
Overall, I think the show went well, though. We had a chance to meet some really nice people, and we had some fun. I'm sure this will be an event we will particpate in again.

My aunt passed away this morning. We knew it was just a matter of time, but when Hubby called me with the news this morning, it still felt like a blow to the solar plex.
Called my Mom right after speaking with Hubby. She seemed to be okay, but she is in the city now and will be going with my cousin to make the final funeral arrangements. Most things had been taken care of a while ago, but I'm sure it will be a very difficult day for both of them tomorrow.
I haven't cried yet, but I know I will when I see my other family members. I don't know how my aunt's partner will be, either. He was aware of how sick she was, but he has been quite ill for the last couple of years and she was the primary care giver to him. He is going to be lost without her - we all figure it is just a matter of time for him now. So sad.
When I talked to my Mom this afternoon, it appeared the funeral would be on Wednesday, but I guess we will know more after they meet with the funeral directors in the morning.

My brother left for Afganistan on Saturday morning. He had been home from his last tour for exactly one year and four days. I know the military likes to give a one-year time between leaves, but only waiting 4 extra days just doesn't seem right to me. I don't even know if he knows about my aunt yet or not. Will talk to SIL tomorrow when I return home.

Feeling sleepy now... off to bed...

Off again...

The vehicle is packed...with a few more things to add...and then I am off for another working weekend. This time is another outdoor event, but in the city. I won't be home until Monday afternoon, and I am a little nervous about it, I will admit.

S seems totally okay with my leaving - but he always does. This morning he has been very silly and I've had to give him many reminders in the past hour. (Not the best way to start a morning, I will confess...)
The A-man is fine about my going away for the weekend, but felt very assured that he had all of the contact information he needs - just in case.

We all went to see the R-man's house last night. It is quite nice, and they look like they have been living there forever. We didn't get to visit as long as I would have liked, but that was my fault because my hairdresser took a lot longer getting rid of the grey...

On my way out the door, R-man's girlfriend (I'm going to call her LF) handed me a couple of gift bags - my 'birthweek' gifts from Cuz. (!!) Love the burning candles and firetruck sounds, btw...
This morning is day one - very nice candle holder.

For the past couple of years, Cuz and I have celebrated our birth weeks. One present a day for the week building up to your actual birthday, with the main gift being #7. We usually go for cute, silly things for the other 6 days, but it just helps build the excitement of having a 'special' day. (I am very much of the belief that a birthday should be celebrated regardless of the age of the person! :o) )

And... I am off!

Government Agencies vs. Pharma companies

A few years ago, the A-man participated in a study to determine how informed he (and I) were with respect to ADHD and the effects of medication. It was a government agency that was running this study. We drove to the city to participate in it because I knew they would be able to give us a bit of a snap-shot psycho-ed assessment.
The A-man and I were there for a couple of hours. At the end of the entire event, I think I received a cheque for $45 to cover the cost of parking and my participation in the study. The A-man received a cheque for $25. Now, we didn't do this study for the money - we did it because we thought it would help this agency.

This afternoon we had the marketing company come to our house to film us for an information DVD. Two guys - interviewer and cameraman - came to our house. They set up their camera, got the lighting situated just so, and interviewed each of us. Total time they were at the house was about an hour and a half. (That included all of the set up, each of the interviews, then the tear down.)
When we were just about finished, I had to sign some release forms for the interview portions, and to indicate that we knew we would be receiving payment for our participation. I was expecting a nominal amount - I had never asked about it, to be honest. I knew the information that was sent to us did indicate we would be reimbursed for our time - but again, I was expecting a nominal amount.

Yeah - here is the kicker:

• Government agency takes about 2 hours of your time, you pay for parking and make arrangements to get yourself there; $70.
• Pharma company meets you at the location of your choice, takes less than half an hour of your time and films you for a DVD; $300.

EACH!

(I just about fell off the couch when I read that on the form. The A-man and S feel like they are rich now... They want to film DVD all of the time!!)

Wow - ya think they have much money?

It went well!

The A-man is totally pumped about his "Hospitality & Tourism" class. The first cooking section they are going to cover is baking, and he is going to learn how to make an apple pie. I have no idea what other types of items they are going to be making, though - he was really focused on the pie! (lol)
Actually, he did tell me that they had an ISU (individual study unit) where they needed to learn a little bit about a country of choice, then present the information they learned while preparing a dish from said country. The A-man thought he would like to prepare sushi.
Yeah - not only is it a very expensive food choice, but also not an easy one for a beginner chef. Hmmm.... maybe this could be a Mother/Son experiment - we could learn together! I will have to suggest that to him.

S did very well for his first day. Well, at least he told me that he did - which for him is always the most important thing. He got to meet the new principal - he thought she seemed nice - and he has a couple of friends in his class, which is always a good thing.
After supper last night, we went through his agenda and wrote in the days that he has to pack his gym clothes, pizza days, that sort of thing. I told him I would fill in the month of September but it was up to him to do the rest of the months. I highly doubt he will do it, but my thought is that if I keep showing him the steps, maybe eventually, he will pick them up too. BIG maybe there.

Last night I started to read an article of executive dysfunction of the brain, and then after I had read the same paragraph at least three times, I realized I was simply too tired to be able to absorb anything. I slept like a log, but had odd dreams. Very odd dreams. This morning it was tough to drag myself out of bed.

Today is the day that the boys and I are interviewed for the ADHD Information DVD. I didn't share the details of the interview until last night. As I expected, the two of them got very excited and started acting a bit goofy. The A-man suddenly developed an English accent. I have no idea what country S was supposed to be from. I laughed when the producer called me and said they were just going to Google how to get to our house. Try explaining to someone from the city that although you really do have an address, it is simply too obscure for Mapquest to find. I really don't think she believed me.

I am working this coming weekend - another music event for a client. It is going to be really long days (13 hour shifts!!) but I think it will be fun. The weather is supposed to be really hot, but since we are going to be working outside until midnight each night, we are going to have to bring the gammet with respect to clothing. I will NOT be going in to the office on Monday.

Let the games begin...

Hubby and I discovered over the weekend, it was not exactly the best of times to start the reduction of S's anxiety medication. We will try again in a couple of weeks - once the 'excitement' of beginning a new school year is over.
He didn't exactly have a major melt down yesterday, but it was gearing up to be a good one. Hubby was able to head it off at the pass.

I think both boys are quite excited about the start of a new school year, all things considered. Yes, S did have a bit of a melt down yesterday (as we knew he would) but he was up early this morning -before I woke him - and he's been talking non-stop since. "8th grade privilege" and "on the first day of school last year..."
The A-man's alarm went off at 6:30 (!!) and he didn't take too long to actually turn it off and start moaning about getting out of bed. He isn't a morning person - gets that from his Mom - therefore he realizes he needs time, at his pace, to do what he likes/needs to do in the morning. It has taken me a number of years to be able to relinquish control enough to allow him this time and space, but it really did work for him last year. I'm pretty sure his new-found maturity level also helped greatly with this.

Yesterday, when we were leaving the cottage, S told me that he and his brother and their three friends from the cottage had a big group hug as a way of saying good-bye to summer. Coping, learning and growing, I guess.

The start of another school year. I hope (and pray) it's finally a good one.