But no. While I’ve been rushing about from activity to activity, thriving on iced coffee (both bought and home made) and otherwise forgetting about anything outside of my tiny part of it, the world has gone on! It tends to do that you know. Since 8 Feb we’ve had more dance performances and competitions, signed up for TaekwonDo, started a new book series (Kingdom Keepers – you should read them!), applied to the local charter school (and at least once of us is hoping D gets in!), gone to dentist appointments, started tutoring, and about a million other small, insignificant things that add up to all my time.

On  the bright side of things, I am still obsessing over recipes and pinterest.

Speaking of food, you should absolutely make this:

Sausage & Zucchini Arrabiata. It was originally sausage & eggplant, but I had zucchini is my fridge the night we had this. Cook pasta according to directions and set aside. Take three (or four, or five) sweet (or hot, your choice!) sausages out of their casings and cook until not quite pink and crumbly. Add zucchini (I used 3 or 4, chopped), onion (~1/2 C chopped), garlic (as much as you want), and salt (I omitted, but I always do!) and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about three pounds of chopped tomatoes (I used a mix of roma and beefsteak), 1/4C chopped fresh basil and 2T chopped fresh oregano and cook until tomatoes break down. Yum! Serve over pasta, or mix it, or add some parmesan (or sardines!) or whatever!

Eshiva and her company group had their first competition on Saturday at Nexstar. They did amazing!

So, here is her *mumbles* freaking dollar company uniform tracksuit:

Super cute? Yes. Over priced? Yes. Will it fit next year, and the year after? It fucking better

Before they went on:

So, K’s mom was freaking out b/c she somehow got a hole in her *new* tights, but thankfully K and her tights are more or less the shame color and the hole was on the inner thigh, so she had the studio owner, the company coach, and the other two group parents telling her to calm herself down it’s not the end of the world. K’s mom was more nervous than K

Isn’t she cute??

and the trophy:

Her group won high gold for their category and age range, and won third over all for category. Not too bad for their first real time out, especially for the number of kids that were there.

Since she is a group, the trophy has to live at Mrs. P’s. She got to bring it home over the weekend (b/c the other two girls in her group had to split before awards were given out) and Michael and I went to a trophy store today and ordered her one that she can keep. I can’t see doing it every time, but this time was special. 15$ well spent, IMO. She’ll have it on Friday

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-broward-elementary-specials-030910.doc20100308,0,5494407.story

Broward schools to consider cuts to arts, music, physical education classes
Elementary programs face big changes next year

Facing huge cuts in state money, Broward’s public elementary schools next year could see major changes to their art, music, physical education and library programs.

Under a proposal the Broward School Board will discuss Tuesday, the district’s 140 elementary schools will have four options for how it handles those non-core classes.

The choices: Four schools in the same zone would share a media specialist along with an art, music and physical education teacher; electives would be incorporated into classroom teachers’ daily lessons; teachers of electives would be required to teach two classes at once, with the help of an aide; or specialty teachers would serve as consultants to their colleagues on how to incorporate electives into the curriculum.

School Board members were told last month the district could lose $80 million to $100 million in state money and have to make up for $60 million in one-time money spent in last year’s budget. Board members are supposed to see proposals for cuts in the coming weeks.

Other changes being discussed Tuesday include using a school’s size to revise staffing numbers for administrators and guidance counselors; and again eliminating extensions under the Deferred Retirement Option Program. The state retirement program allows teachers to extend their retirement date three years. Broward stopped granting them last year, affecting 233 teachers and school support staff. It prompted a lawsuit from the Broward Teachers Union that the union eventually lost.

Tuesday’s debate on elementary electives will include a proposal that schools supplement arts and music education with virtual field trips, video conferences, the Student Enrichment in the Arts partnership with the Broward Center for Performing Arts and other options.

That portion of the discussion is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the school district’s Fort Lauderdale headquarters, 600 SE Third Ave.

Laurie Firestone, of Coral Springs, has a son in the second grade at Maplewood Elementary School, which has already scaled back library time to once a week, art to once a week, and music and physical education to every other week.

She said teachers won’t have time to build electives into their regular lesson plans, so students likely would go without. “All they’re doing is studying for the FCAT,” she said.

Blame budget cuts and the state Legislature, said School Board Chairwoman Jennifer Gottlieb.

“They are scraping us to the bare bone. It’s been that way for the past few years,” she said. “Until the state starts to adequately fund public education, these are the conversations we unfortunately have to have.”

But other board members wonder whether there are other areas to consider cutting.

Board member Robin Bartleman suggested scaling back work calendars of new administrators, or looking at district contracts to see whether there are programs that aren’t worth renewing.

“Those music classes, those art classes … you can’t take that stuff away from kids,” Bartleman said. “Sometimes that’s the only thing that’s sparking the interest of the kid.”

Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4556.

Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

I am uploading some new stuff for Punky Moms. I am pouring over the “special needs” Disney guide book we picked up the other night. I bought our tickets last week, and we’re headed up next month. This year I am going to pre-plan our trips. Why? There is so very much we have never seen, or at the least, my husband and kids have not seen. There is so much we miss just because we didn’t plan well, or at all. So this year, I will have an itinerary. I was joking I might get a yellow flag on a pole to go with it. The kids know what rides they must go on, the guide book has a comprehensive list of autism-friendly things (like listing quiet, out of the way areas to relax in the middle of the parks) and I am going to plan for major meltdowns and hope for none at all. I’ve requested a letter from our doctor explaining that Mal can’t cope with extra long line waits, extra stimulation, large crowds, etc.. so we can get the GAC. You would think we’d steer clear of Disney! He does really well though, and I am hoping to not need the GAC. I just want to have it just in case. Preparation. I want a happy, healthy mini-vacay. I think planning the fuck out of it will accomplish that.

The kids keep watching YouTube vid’s of the rides. Too cute.

Well, I won a 55 yard hank of cream coloured wool yarn.

It arrived this morning! I got the camera, a battery (and a little plastic case the battery was in), a/v cord, transfer cord, battery charger, software, and a few books. The camera comes with a 90 day warranty (it is a factory refurb, not new).

There are no visible marks on the camera, in fact, it looks brand new. The battery did not arrived charged, and took about two hours to fully charge (from plug-in to charging light off). The camera is incredibly light. I wasn’t expecting that. It feels kind of plasticy in my hands (you know what I mean, right?) and I’m not sure if it’s cheaply made or if I am just used to my bulkier Lumix and my dslr. The thing is tiny. Seriously. It’s about the same weight as my iPhone, about twice as thick, but about 3/4″ – 1″ shorter than it. It will fit nicely in my back pocket

It has fewer options than my other Lumix (I can’t find any presets other than power ISO and macro – I think it auto detects them, if I read correctly) and appears to be idiot proof. It has a “mode” button, that pops up a menu, but the only options are intelligent auto, normal picture, scene mode 1, scene mode 2 and motion picture. It’ll be great for on the go quick shots, you know? It has a much smaller screen on the back than my other Lumix as well.

All in all, I am not (yet) complaining. If I had wanted the *same* camera, I’d have ordered it. I took a few photos with it today and they seem just fine. I didn’t find any *bad* reviews of this camera, so I don’t expect to be complaining about it any time soon.

RefurbDepot.com shipped fast, next day I think. I ordered UPS ground (10$) and it took less than seven days to arrive (I was expecting it next week b/c of the ground shipping).

Shivie is doing great! She is loving dance class. We signed her up for school for next year. VPK covers 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, and an extra 50$ a week gets us the full day (7:30 – 3). She gets breakfast, lunch and a snack at 3. She’ll get once a week swimming lessons, they have a large outdoor play area, a huge indoor gym and they follow the High Reach curriculem. I need to do some reasearch into that, but it’s more than just “day care.” She is excited, and honestly, I am too! I already have plans to repaint the downstairs next August or September. It’s a good thing

He pulled his old trick of falling over standing still this morning. It’s become quite rare, so Michael was surprised.

We’ve dropped the ABA lady to once a month, which is mainly to check in and see if anything new pops up.

Courtney (his private speech gal, he also sees Kendra twice a week for 30 minutes each) is working with him on the telephone. She is doing his normal speech stuff for the first 20 minutes or so, and then works on the phone. I send a couple of old cell phones in, he loves playing with them. She is trying to get him to play out a phone conversation. This is a typical Malachai phone experience:

The phone rings.
Malachai ignores it.
Malachai, the phone is for you (and I hold it out to him), it’s soandso.
Malachai shies away from the phone, puts his head kind of to the side, simulating feotal position, but without using his entire body to get into it. He also starts to back away, regardless of what is behind/beside him that he may bump into.
I then explain (as gently as possible) to soandso that Malachai doesn’t want to use the phone right now and can he try and phone back later?

It’s a whole huge process where nothing actually gets accomplished. He does this with the fake phone play acting as well.

Courtney is going to talk to some of her colleagues between now and next Wednesday, but in the meantime suggested I find some books about the phone. I have been looking for useful social scripts all week, but she also suggested books about when the phone was invented, how it works, etc.. As it is, I am a dork and have books from when I was a kid that cover topics just like that! Score! I even know where they are, go me! Malachai loves to read, as long as you don’t realize he is reading, and loves science (he wants to build a time machine when he grows up). So, we’re moving at the speed of a sloth, but we’re moving just the same.

I wrote a letter to whoever it goes to about his aid for next year. I am really proud of my letter. I am quoting it below, feel free to use parts of it if you need something similar. I wrote it at the urging of our ESE gal, not that it will absolutely help, but it certainly can’t hurt (her words).

[quote]To Whom It May Concern:,
I am writing this letter to express how helpful I feel the personal aid has been to my son, Malachai Jxxx, this school year.

His schoolwork has markedly improved since he has had access to an aid for a portion of the day. Not only does he bring completed papers home (something that he has trouble doing on his own) but they usually have all the correct answers as well. I have seen the spelling tests and language tests he brings home; Often he will get maybe 3/10 correct when he takes the test with the class, but 9 or 10/10 when he takes the test one on one with the aid.
While I do not feel Malachai needs a personal aid for the full day, I do feel he would benefit greatly from receiving this one on one time again during the next school year.

Malachai also receives outside speech and occupational therapies and has just come so far this year. I would like to see this upward curve continue.
[/quote]

The requisition papers were due this week, so it had to be in ASAP. His IEP is scheduled for September of next school year, but Ellen (ESE) is going to try and do it by the end of this year so his current teacher has input, not a teacher who doesn’t know him.

I’ve also requested he not have the teacher that Dorian has this year as I think it will be a really bad match. She asked who I did want him to have, but I have no idea. The teachers I knew from when Michael & Sara went there are not the teachers who are still there. I told her I trust her judgement, and please keep him out of Mrs. Vxxx’s class.

Wow, what a post. Here is what I really wanted to ask about, thanks for making it this far!

We’re going to Disney in April. I used all the money I made in January/February to buy tickets for all eight of us. I am going the weekend of my moms birthday because it will make my dad happ(ier) than he would be sitting at home all weekend being depressed. I understand Disney handles special needs differently now than it did when I was a kid, and differently than Universal does now. I know I need a note from the doctor on their letter head (I am going to ask for one tomorrow when I pick up D’s referral), but does anyone know if I need anything else?

I don’t abuse it, Mal can handle short waits and we can usually distract him in most lines. It’s those hour+ lines that we can’t do it on. (Can you tell I have guilt over it? This from a kid who never, ever waited in line because she was with the wheelchair party.) It helps us in restaurants and some other sit-down type attactions as well.

I am planning this trip to see shows and stuff that we usually don’t see, so I’d like to know if there is anything I should take into consideration for or about him. We’re Disney veterans. I know not to spend the entire day there, and to make dinner reservations and all that stuff. Last time we were there was a couple of years ago and things change, including him, and I am probably making a bigger deal than it is, but a couple of hours after we arrive I get irritated and am ready to leave because I haven’t planned well enough. I’d like to avoid that. We will not be staying anywhere near the parks this time, so heading back to the hotel for an hour breather and going back isn’t an option.

We had Dorian’s IEP on Monday morning. Usually this is fast. He really only has an IEP for speech so it’s not the long and drawn out process Malachai’s can be. It went well. Last year he had speech (IIRC) twice a week for 30 minutes, and this year he was dropped to twice a week for fifteen minutes, and Kendra (the speech gal at school) said she was willing to drop him to once a week if I was ok with it. I vetoed that because I am not ok with it, what good is 15 minutes once a week? So twice a week it is.

The teacher mentioned his fine motor skills and that he could maybe use some help. What? Where did this come from? It mainly came from his handwriting. Let me tell you, my handwriting is attrocious. I go from having easy to read block letters or messy scribble to well formed cursive and back to scribble in the same sentance. My hand hurts if I write for too long. It cramps up and I just don’t like doing it, which is funny because I have notebooks of writing fromt he stone age. I also have notebooks of typed up (on a typewriter!) things as well.

So… I spoke to Malachai’s OT and she suggested having him evaluated instead of giving me random advice.

No problem. I phoned the doc this morning, told the referral lady what I needed and why (and that my other sons OT suggested a full eval) and she said it should be ready by 5. I am going to pick it up in the morning. Sometimes my doc office is convenient. Other times it sucks.

So, I might be trekking out to therapy more than the twice a week I am already out there (Mal gets his ST & OT back to back twice a week). Fun fun fun!

I have some Mal type queries in my next post…