Mass Consumerism, Shopaholics and Crazy Ladies....

What do they all have in common?? Zhu Zhu Pets. Seriously...these things are driving people to act all kinds of crazy. First of all...let's talk about the hoards of people at the mall...OH MY GAWD....I can't believe the way that people are running around like crazy to get "that last gift"....note to all of you out there, avoid the mall at all costs. Now, back to the blog title. Yesterday, I was standing in line at Toys R Us to return an afterthought, when I subtly mentioned to the cashier "So, what's the big deal with these things [pointing to the zhu zhus]" she says "Oh, what...the Zhu Zhu Pets??" and, apparently, that set off some sort of alarm in the lady behind me, because she commenced to jump out of line, and literally, scoop all the remaining crazy magnets off the table....WOW, I wonder if she knows about the "Limit ONE per customer" rule that they have. It was one of the strangest things I had ever seen. Either she was A) The 30 year old Grandmother to 17 children that all wanted a Zhu Zhu pet (unlikely) or B) Crazy. I'm gonna go with B on this one. You should have seen the look on her face. So, beware of the zhu zhu pets, they may try to take over an otherwise perfectly sane person near you.

A little FYI for you...

It burns REALLY bad when you get ginger in your eye. Just thought I'd share.

Hey mom...look what I did!

So...I'm a Liar.

Here I go telling you that I am going to keep you posted on all the ins and outs of everything us, then I drop the ball...again. Geesh. I guess I should of said I will "TRY" to keep this thing updated. Hey, better a little here and there than nothing at all right?

Let's get crafty!

T loves her crafts, and with t being sick, this is something REALLY simple to keep her busy and having fun. enjoy FUN PAPER DOLLS

t is sicky poo

t started vomiting 2 days ago...came out of nowhere, no fever, nada. SOOOO, we come to find out that he had a dairy/milk exposure...definite no no in his tummy that's for sure. He is doing much better today, but, yesterday, not so much. He didn't even eat ANY Thanksgiving, at all. Hoping the next few days it will clear out of his system and he will be back to his boyish, crazy self.

UPDATE...almost all clear, he still isn't wanting much food, but, he hasn't puked since late last night. I am hoping this means that he is on the mend.

The Little White Turkey Lie

My daughter is such an animal activist...so much so, that she decided that she will no longer be eating anything that "sounds" like it might be an animal product until she investigates it further...*sigh*. She said, "They kill the animals mom...it's not fair." After a night of tears just at the thought of how they "kill" the turkey for Thanksgiving, she banned it all together. Ham is ok, since, it doesn't sound like PIG and is in turn not easily associated with the death of an unsuspecting animal. So, in a shameless attempt to save Thanksgiving, we told her that her Grandpa found the turkey from a farmer, he was an old turkey that lived a really good long life...he died of natural causes, and since it isn't good to waste, he will be our Thanksgiving Turkey. She agreed that "he" could enter our house on a platter, but, that she would still have no part of it....alas, my daughter has become....me.

Working Girl

It's happening. I have become a working mom. When Shannon was laid off in July, he worked painstakingly at sending resumes, interviews and leads in an attempt to find SOMETHING...anything that would help. I sat and watched as he worried about finances, applied for unemployment, and got rejected for being "overqualified" for jobs he interviewed for. I decided to step up to the proverbial plate and start providing the best way I know how for this family...and for him. I worked on advertising my photography, getting new business cards, networking, offering specials until...tada...it paid off. We have been doing really well with just my photography, and Shannon is now staying home with the kiddos. This is our dream, I get to do something that I LOVE...and he gets to spend time with people he loves. Everything really does happen for a reason.

Where are the people?

With the explosion of the WWW and email, people stopped writing "real" letters and instead just sent mass emails, I will admit, I am to blame for this too. Next on the agenda, blogs. People starting blogging in leiu of calling family for updates, and now, if it's even possible, applications like facebook, twitter and myspace have even pulled us away from our blogging! I too have been lacking in keeping this stinkin' thing updated, it just seems so much easier to post a "status update" but, alas, I vow to do better. Today is the day I blog a bit more.

Absent Minded Blogger

I have been MIA for a while here...promise to keep you all updated better really soon...but, quickly, my reason for being so absent minded is this head of mine...boy, is it causing me some real problems. Headaches suck. There is no other statement that better explains it than that. This is how I feel,

hopefully, we will see a rainbow. I will post more fun things soon, for now, have a happy halloween!

I wish I had birthday pictures to post.

Trinity celebrated her 6th birthday on Saturday! It was so.much.fun. She had 5 friends (girls only this time) and they just did girly stuff. We had the parents drop the kiddos off, and they jumped on the couch, read books in her room, played with her toys, decorated cupcakes, painted their nails, played "pin the crown on Trinity" and more. It was by far, my favorite party yet.

I took SO MANY good pictures, she had the best time. We bought her a cruiser for her birthday, and in themorning, took her out to "debut" it for the first time, I brought with me my trusty beloved camera, my work camera, and captured some amazing shots. We went over to the park, played in the sand and tehterball...during this time, I had set my camera down on the bench...only to forget it later. I didn't remember that I had "forgotten" it until many hours afterwards, and by then, it was gone. More than anything, I just want the memory card back, they can keep the camera, if they need it that bad....just give me back those memories.

So, I wish that I had pictures to post for you, for Trinity, but, I don't...hopefully, in a few days, or weeks...even months, someone will have returned it, and I will be showing you the look on her face when she jumped on the couch, or the smile that she wore when we painted her nails..but for now, we just hold on to the faith that all people are good in nature, and someone will return to us what is ours.

More allergies, and some answers too

You may recall a few months back when we started testing on Tristan to determine what he is allergic to and to what severity. We also performed a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis Test to help us get a better grasp on what nasty little bugs are causing all of little t's tummy troubles. His tests came back, and boy...there are some interesting answers.

First off, lets talk about his allergies. He is ABSOLUTELY, 100% allergic, very severly I might add, to Wheat, Dairy, and now, EGG! He is sensitive to a bevvy of other foods, to include cranberries, but none as bad as the 3 previously stated culprits. So, starting today, he is GF/CF/EF and then soy in moderation. Can you stay, styrofoam dinner?

On to the more interesting part. They found high levels of yeast, specifically, candida albicans in his stool/gut. There is evidence that this form of yeast, may cause autism and may exacerbate many behavior and health problems in autistic individuals, especially those with late-onset autism. INTERESTING. The microbiology returned that t has high levels of BAD bacteria and NO PRESENT levels of good bacteria. Basically, his tummy has been a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast...no wonder the boy has never had a solid stool in his life.

Tomorrow we start the anti-fungal medication Diflucan. This is a blessing, and a curse. Because, with this med, comes the "die-off period"....a timeframe usually 7-14 days (sometimes longer) where all the yeast dies in his body, and is excreted. Some parents report constant screaming, hyperactivity, anger, sleepless nights...and the light at the end of the tunnel you ask? It's huge...many people state that once their children complete a full cycle of the medication, that they have increased eye contant, increased usage of words/language, decreased negative behaviours such as biting, teeth grinding, stimming etc., some parents report that their kiddos RECOVER. WOW. Though we don't expect a recovery, we welcome any positive change. I will just be happy when his tummy doesn't hurt anymore, when his ear infections go away, and when he can sleep without wakingup screaming in pain.

Here's to a new day, a new chapter and new beginnings! I will keep you posted on our progress.

Crazy Hair Day

Today, was Crazy Hair Day at Trinity's school...I know, totally crazy :)

She wanted it half purple and half pink...she said that she looked like "A rocker girl"....so, we dressed to fit the part. Tomorrow is PJ Day...can't wait!!!!

Bear Bear

Tristan has a lovey. His name is Bear Bear. Tristan knows how to say "Bear Bear", and he named him this. Each night before bed, when he goes to say goodnight to everyone, he makes sure to say "Bear Bear?" and climbs into bed to get him. It is the sweetest thing ever....he kisses him, takes him to the potty, hugs and loves him so much. This is a huge thing, because to have a "Bear Bear" means that he is understanding abstract thoughts, he is thinking outside of himself, and he is using his imagination...baby steps....thanks Bear Bear, you are helping us breakthrough, even if little by little.

best.day.EVER.

You know how Tristan is in absolute LOVE with Yo Gabba Gabba? His ultimate dream came true on Saturday when we took him to the Kids Fair to meet D.J. Lance Rock and Brobee. It was fabulous. I tell you, the most amazing thing to see your child in complete and utter awe of something....he was in heaven. The best part, it was THE D.J. Lance...the REAL one from the show. He rocked...majorly. There was a moment, when they were playing the "Family" song, he comes down from the stage, and Shannon runs Tristan up to the front to get a closer view...Shannon got teary eyed, it was the first time that he had a moment with Tristan, doing something that he REALLY enjoyed..they experienced it together, and it was really heartwarming to watch.

After the concert, which, by the way...was AWESOME, he got to actually meet with and take pictures with D.J. Lance and Brobee. He was so cool, he was soft and gentle with Tristan, trying not to scare him, Trinity told him that he had Autism, and he didn't bat an eye, he gave him a high five, wrapped his arms around him and Shannon, and had a picture together. It was a great family bonding experience, and it set the tone for the entire day.

I was so happy that we could do something just for him that he really loved. Something that tapped into his world, and for a moment, we were let in, to enjoy, to share, and to be a "normal" family....it was the best.day.ever.