Garden Oddities

THIS........came out of our garden (and it really scares the crap out of me). Max promptly declared that it was a boy tomato. Yes, it looks like a boy tomato but mommy sees a nose and convinced him of such. You cannot imagine the language opportunities that we had with this.






And just to further push the point, I found this as well.




Can you hear me?

Because you wished.......

There were a couple of you that wished that you had the Guide By Your Side program in your state. Being the genie in the bottle that I am, and because I really feel that this service should be in every state, I have found a link that might help you get started in implementing the GBYS in your state (and frankly knowing what I know about you, I know that you can do it).

Here is the link to the National Hands and Voices with the application that you can fill out to try to get the program in your state.

http://www.handsandvoices.org/gbys/index.htm Just scroll down.

Good Luck!!!!!!

I am sooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to be sharing this news with you. Despite my sore throat and various other nasty's, I feel like jumping up and down.

Our state is a "GO" on the Guide By Your Side (GBYS) program. What specifically is this program? It is a program by Hands and Voices. Whenever a child is diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing the information is automatically sent to the State Dept. of Health. Now, with this program someone will call the parents and ask if they would like to talk to a Guide By Your Side, which is basically a parent who has a child who is deaf or hard of hearing and has lots of information, resources, knowledge and been there. Here is a link. http://www.handsandvoices.org/gbys/testimonials.htm

I remember when my son was diagnosed at 17 mos. I was freaked out and only held it together until I got to the car and wigged out. When I left Riley's Childrens Hospital, they had given me a book from the State Department that had a lot of resources listed in it, but seriously, I didn't even know what deaf was at the time much less able to sort through all the stuff in that booklet to know what I needed and what I didn't need. The day after his diagnosis I literally called every single number in that book and told them who I was, what I was told, and asked how they could help me. I have to tell you I didn't get a whole lot of info. The whole diagnosis and stress of it all seriously knocked me flat on my face for a long time. Only a parent who has been through this, knows the feeling, guilt, hurt, and fear. I begged for someone to tell me somebody, another parent, I could call who had been through this already. Nope, couldn't do it, it's all confidential info. I asked for counseling to help me deal. I could get counseling, but I would have to drive 2 hours to get it since there were no counselors in my area who were First Step Providers, are you kidding me? So to have a program like this in our state where a parent who is just getting the diagnosis and can talk to someone who has already been there is fantastic!!!!!!

For 2 1/2 years I have searched and sought out parents of deaf children. Max's surgeon, audiologist, and even some people in the school have asked if I could talk to a parent and I have. I so much want to tell them that everything really is going to be o.k. The excitement is................ I am one of the GBYS's in our state!!!! I will get notified of a new parent to talk to. I will get to hug them and help them through the fear. And best of all I GET PAID FOR IT!!!!! I've been doing it for free all this time and still would, but don't tell the State that cause now I can get paid. Can you Hear me?

So I'm aggravated.........

I put in the movie "Personal Effects" last night hoping to be entertained. Instead I was purely put off within the first 1/2 hour. I don't know who directed the movie, but I thought it might be a fairly decent movie since Michelle Pfieffer, Kathy Bates and Ashton Kutcher were in it. The movie infuriated me so much, I shut my eyes and went to sleep. This morning hubby asked, "Do you want me to tell you what happened in the movie?" I replied, "No." I promptly packed that movie up and threw it in the mailbox, off to Netflix it goes. Good riddance. By now I'm sure you're wondering what in the world? I'm about to tell you.

The movie has a good premise. Ashton Kutcher moves back with his mother (Kathy Bates) to help her get over the the murder of his twin sister. While at a group grieving therapy session, he meets Michelle Pfieffer who is there because someone killed her husband. So the more time Ashton spends with Michelle and her son and helps them through their grief, he is helped through his grief as well. That's a great premise. I love that, and definitely find it to be true. The bible even tells us to get the focus of ourselves and put it on others and we will be blessed. So how come I'm so freaking mad at this movie? It's because Michelle's son is portrayed as being deaf. (Whether he is or not in real life I don't know.) So why has this got me so flippin mad? Because they portrayed the "deaf son" as being in special ed, mentally off, stupid, and agressive. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Has the director of this movie or any of the actors never met a person who was deaf? People who are deaf are not special ed material anymore than a hearing person. They are not mentally off, stupid or aggressive anymore than a hearing person. Come on, this portrayal of a deaf person was insulting. People who are deaf are no different than hearing people and for Hollywood to put this mis-information out there infuriates me. I wish that someone out there in La La Land would get a clue and try to portray something accurately. Don't they realize that their stereotypes make it harder for people like my son? Don't they see that those who might see this movie might pick up on this bias and discrimination and classify my son in that category without even knowing him? This crap just gives bullies and other mean-spirited people food to torment with. I'm so freaking upset over this I'm tempted to find out who directed it and send him/her some real information regarding people who are deaf. Can you Hear me?

And so it begins

Today is the first day of school for Max. He was pretty excited about going to school today. In fact, he was so excited that he didn't go to sleep last night until around 9:45 pm, so I'm sure you all know how he responded to the 6:30 am wake-up attempt. Not very well. I kept trying to get in his face, so he could read my lips, to remind him that it was the 1st day of school. But it was hard with the dog wanting to also get in his face to lick him, he wouldn't open his eyes for any length of time to get in close. I finally just had to stick the coil on his head announce that it was the 1st day of school AND THEN he was ready to get up. I don't know why my kids are so gung ho about this school stuff.




I give Emily exactly one more day and Max two more school days before they refuse to get out of bed and be in a good mood. Sure they're in high ho spirits now, everything is new: new teachers, new rooms, new classmates (except for Max who is still a master in his harem of females), new backpacks, lunch boxes all new. A few more trips and it will soon become just as old and boring as it was last year. Then they will remember my griping and complaining that school shouldn't be starting yet, that the pool is still out there and summer finally got here last Friday. They'll be wanting to sleep in, stay in pajamas until we put on bathing suits and stay in bathing suits until we put pajamas back on. I don't think any school should open their learning doors until after Labor Day. That's what they did when I was in school and I turned out fine, didn't I? Anyway, when I literally have to drag them out of bed at 6:30 every morning and throw clothes on them and force feed them breakfast, then they'll remember my sad, sad school is starting days and how I griped and complained that it was too early for school.




And so it begins, the 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hour drive everyday, the gas, the traffic, the freakey drivers, the lunches, the homework, the rush of dinner, the rush of backpack packing, dragging people out of bed, trying to force Miley to do her thang (the outside thing) so I can lock her up before we leave, and the prayers that my children are safe and let their light shine to others. Can you Hear me?



(Believe it or not, this was the mileage on the car when we left the house this morning. I'll have to post the ending mileage on the last day of school.)