updatey goodness

I haven’t really posted in a while. Everyone is well. Dor made honor roll last quarter, Mal got an “honorable mention” for trying hard. Mal is having some trouble in school – not from a knowledge stance, but from an activity/participation stance. We’ll have a meeting soon to figure out what to do. I think we’re due for a mid year IEP anyway.

Thanksgiving was nice – my gram and aunt came over, we had a feast. Ham, roastbeast, brisket, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, green beans, macaroni & cheese, garlic potatoes, party potatoes, and I can’t remember what else. We recently ran out of leftovers (rightovers).

I went in and had my hair done up in dread-twists on this past Monday. These photos are from today. They took 7.5 hours from start to finish (minus a 20 minute break).

Yes, they are small – they will bulk up a bit once the twist lets go a little, and I wanted the smaller ones for better coverage. I have them sort of pinned back in these photos.

I have been busting my ass over at azxureDawn to not only get work done that I have, but bring in more. I can’t win – either I am too idle for my own happiness, or I am too swamped to keep up. I wish I could find a happy medium.

I am going with my dad in two weeks to finish the kids holiday shopping, but most of it is done. I didn’t stand by not spending any money this year, but all told I think we spent under 150$ on all three combined. We got some inexpensive little stuff, and Michael got some good black Friday deals. They each got a metal slinky, a mini gumball machine and legos. We also got a SpeedRacer Wii game, Guess Who, some other Wii game (I can’t rememeber – it was a collection of mini games), the Ladybug Game, Kung Fu Panda (10$ @ CVS!), HotWheels Wii game, a dinosaur game and a sea monster game. Eshiva is getting one more thing picked up this evening, and my dad will get them each two more things (I try very hard to give one thing every night of Channukah, so they each get eight total). Dor asked for more Star Wars books and another Didj game, so there are his two, and I have no clue what to get the other two. I also need to pick up a cord for my brother and one more gift (they’ve outgrown needing eight things… I hope!), and something for my sister, and something for my dad. I am thoroughly stumped on his gift. Michael got a new tattoo machine and a GPS for his holidays gifts (he totally got them both himself, but both were splurges).

Just documenting

The boys got their report cards yesterday. Dor made honor roll (with a 1/2 average, like a/b) and Mal got a “you try hard” award. His marks were all over the place.

I got a tidy paycheck today, so I bought myself a present. Ritz Camera was having a sale on filters (I know, it’s kind of a waste, since I can do it in PhotoShop, but I wanted to experiment without using PS) so I got

  • QUANTARAY 49MM 6X CROSS SCREEN FILTER
  • QUANTARAY 49MM SPOT FILTER
  • QUANTARAY 49MM CLOSE-UP FILTER SET (I got this for macro photography – super cheap alternative, if it works)
  • and I picked up a Q-RAY 18-50MM F/3.5-5.6 DIG ZOOM F/NIK.
  • Seeing as I had gone to price check a Nikon F/1.2 50mm, I didn’t do so bad. I came away with the less expensive lens (which does the same thing) and three filters for less than the Nikon brand lens. I just wish I wasn’t too cheap to pay for over night shipping lol  Eh, it wouldn’t have been here by tomorrow anyway. I guess I could have seen if the local Ritz had it in stock – I just thought about that. No worry. I’ll have plenty of chance to use it, and the lenses I have are perfect for the trip anyway.

    We picked up a Wii Fit – the kids are loving it and I am hoping it does some good. I’ve done more yoga in the past two days than I’ve done in the past two months (longer even) and I’ve had fun doing it. Yay!

    Halloween follow up

    Well, we went out in between downpours. We made the entire neighborhood (about 100 houses, maybe half had lights on), and it’s started to drizzle again, so yay!, we made if in between rain drops. Kids were thrilled and I am just glad it stopped raining. No one else was out while we were out, but by the time we got back to our house, we saw a group.

    Cut for tons of photos.

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    Yesterday… and Tomorrow

    Yesterday I had an ok kind of day up until it was time to take Mal to therapy. Yesterday was apparently take your mom to therapy day. No one told me. Almost every woman there her her mom with her for some reason, or her mom was picking her up, or she was on the phone with her mom… you get the picture. While I was slowly realizing this, it also occured to me that I spent a good portion of my life with my mom at various therapy joints (yep, they are joints now, just like bars and boites) and perhaps the universe was preparing me then for not having mom to bring with me now.

    My world is entirely Jenn-centric. Isn’t yours?

    I realize that the universe didn’t give us Erin just to prepare me for Malachai. That would be a little too Jenn-centric, even for me, but…. Well, you just never know, right?

    So I texted my husband, whom I adore, and told him I was missing mom and I wanted to go out when he got home, even if it was just to StarFuckers or someplace like that, to sit. Well, Eshiva wouldn’t go to sleep, and finally did around 9.30, so we went out. Can I shoehorn in here, that my sister had her friend go home so she could keep an eye on Esh? She is such a love. I had him print out the free drink coupon for B&N, so that’s where we wound up.

    Normally B&N is a bad, bad, bad idea for me. I can drop a hundo easy there, and usually do. Well, we get there, and I’m not even in the door yet and I realize I don’t want a cup of coffee (or whatever frou-frou drink the coupon is for) and we just shmy around for a half hour or so. I see a ton of books and magazines I want, but don’t get any. This is bad people, I am beyond pick-me-up shopping and into save the money, I don’t need it anyway territory. Everything I looked at was photography, graphic or cooking related. It all reminds me that I let everything fall by the wayside, that I can’t stick to doing anything. Which of course, puts my somewhat funky mood into piss-off territory.

    So we come home, my husband feels like crap because he can’t fix it (and he isn’t expected to, but I appreciate the thought) and I get in bed and turn the lights out and listen to an audiobook. Fin.

    This morning I was woken up at 6.30 because dad is still at work and will not be home to wake and take the twins to school. So I wake up Sara and Michael wakes up Michael and agian, being the love that he is, takes them to school because I just can’t drive at this hour safely.

    Malachai was impressed with himself that he woke up before the alarm clock went off. We had a nice chat. He told me his teeth feel like there are little people in there playing them like xylaphones. He asked when his birthday was going to be. Tomorrow? No Mal. After tomorrow? After lots of tomorrows, yes. I have no idea if he understands time outside of yesterday, today and tomorrow, because any real length of time is just “after tomorrow.” I know he gets that it’s eight days to Halloween and ten days till we go back to the beach, but I think he still thinks of it in terms of “after tomorrow.” It’s kind of endearing.

    Today is a half day, so I need to figure out what this afternoon will bring. Tomorrow is off, which will be interesting as we have Edinea at 9.15, so we’ll have to figure that out. Maybe we’ll take them all and go to breakfast after. We’ll see.

    AGE OF AUTISM: Denis Leary on Autism.

    Denis Leary on Autism.

    It might be time to add a new category to our lineup. Denis Leary knows the power of the autism community. That’s why he’s using us to sell books. Can we have a giant, “Whatever.” for Mr. Leary?

    “There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can’t compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don’t give a [bleep] what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you – yer kid is NOT autistic. He’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.”

    New York Post Gossip section.

    PS My apologies if you’re offended by the graphic. It seemed fitting.

    AGE OF AUTISM: Denis Leary on Autism.

    So yah. You’re an asshole. I just have one thing to say really. My autistic child tested at just shy of *genius* on his IQ testing (part of the testing that was done during his diagnosis). G-E-N-I-U-S. And my kids not lazy either. Me? I’m lazy. I spend more time and energy figuring out how not to do things than just doing them in the first place. I’ll own my laziness. Most autistic kids? Not so lazy. Not so stupid.

    I’m not buying his book. I’m not telling you to buy his book. I’m not even looking the damn thing up. I’m also not buying Jenny McCarthy’s books either, so there you go.