We don't say fart in our family

There are a few words I've been avoiding because I don't want my kids to say them. Some of them are: shut-up,stupid, its not fair, I'm bored, and fart. I haven't decided what exactly I want them to say instead of fart, so I don't say anything. In my family, we said, "stinker". In Dave's family they said, "fluffy". Apparently you really can't go through life without calling it anything, so Joseph now calls it "poop pop" and Isaac now calls it a "bum burp". My kids are awesome.

I'm really just using my funny kids to advertise session 3 of my music class. Ha ha ha ha! it was all just a trick to get you reading. My next class begins Wednesday, September 28 and goes for 10 weeks for $50. That's right! Every Wednesday (except the day before Thanksgiving of course!) from 10-11am at my house. The final class will be a performance for friends and family on December 7. If your child is between 2 1/2 and 5 years old and loves to sing,dance, play instruments and move, this is the perfect class for you!!!! I have room for 4 more kiddos!

Help me win tickets to Oprah!!!

I've always wanted to go to an Oprah show really bad and now there is one last chance to get tickets ! Just go to Oprah.com and scroll down until you see Oprah ticket sweepstakes. Click on it and fill out the form. Do it every day til friday before 9pm central time. You get a free trip to Chicago. The only hitch is you have to take me!! I gave you the info afterall. :) Please please please help me go!!!!!! I will be your slave forever and ever!

click here to go to the sweepstakes website and you want me to be happy!!!

My First Music Class Concert!

Yea! We did it! A week ago we had our first little performance for moms and dads. It was a little crazy but fun! The kids did really well and I'm so proud of them! I'm starting round 2 tomorrow and I have space for 2 or 3 more kids if anyone knows someone who is interested. You don't even have to start on the 6th with us. We'll see how it goes!!

I love saving money!

I just have to tell someone! I want to scream it from the mountain tops! I just went to Walgreens and bought $52 worth of stuff for only $15. I feel brilliant and frugal at the same time! I then went to Albertson's and bought $40 worth of food for $17. Saving money gives one such a high! So, if you haven't gone to grocerysmarts.com you have to go! It helps you match up your coupons with what is on sale that week. I love it!

So..I got kicked out of Arlington by an Iraqi

A couple weeks ago Dave and I flew to DC so he could attend a Tox conference. Poor sucker, he ended up sitting in meetings all week whilst I enjoyed touring DC! The only trouble was I ended up with a really crappy tour bus company called City Sightseeing Tours (for your future reference).They were always late, very rude,changed routes and had no people skills at all. So, one afternoon I got on the bus and rode out to Arlington Cemetary. I had an amazing time and tried to see all the coolest things like: The Kennedy graves, the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soliers, the spaceshuttle challenger memorial, and many more.

Toward the end I followed the map out to the middle of nowhere to look at the 9/11 Pentagon memorial (which by the way is shaped like a pentagon!) There was grass as far as you could see (with no grave markers). I learned that by 2025,at the rate of burial we're going, the whole cemetary will be full, which is so amazing considering how huge it is!! I started walking back to the parking lot to wait for my bus. I began to feel lost because all I could see was the grass. Then I saw a red bus and started to run frantically (it was getting cold!) toward the parking lot!! It turned out to be the other double decker tour bus company (the good one!) So I found a patch of sun and sat down. Soon after, 2 older couples came over to wait for their bus too. They were super nice and chatted with me for a long time. Another couple from England came and visited with us too. (Are you thinking, "gee Jo, you're being so social!) If so, Thanks. After about 30 minutes, THEIR bus came! (the good one) and I'm still waiting for mine. What the.....? They wanted to sneak me aboard and take me with them, but I thought I shouldn't. I called my company to see if they were coming and got the usual . "Anytime now!" I was now the only tourist in sight.

My back was really hurting after that long walk at the cemetary, so I laid down on the cold hard sidewalk and practically became homeless. I heard yelling. I wasn't sure who it was or what they were yelling about, so I ignored it. It persisted so I looked over and saw someone waving me over. I walked over and it was the security guard talking to me in Spanish. What the heck? I don't know what he's saying! He said "bus....quatro,cinqo,ses" and was pointing to the rode (sorry, I can't spell spanish!) I told him "No hablo Espaniol!" and he says to me, "I don't speak Spanish either, I speak Arabic!" I told him I thought that was pretty cool and he told me I need to wait for my bus outside the gates and that Arlington had closed half an hour ago. I felt so abandoned! I told him bus company is always late and he walked me to the gate. I asked him where he was from. He paused for a second and said, "Iraq". I wanted him to think me a friendly American who doesn't hate or judge Iraqis, so I shook his hand heartily and said, "Nice to meet you! You're the first Iraqi I've ever met!" Then he closed the gate behind me and I pretty much had to go wait on the side of the rode for my lousy bus, who then changed their route on me and did not take me where I needed to go so Dave and I didn't get to meet up to see the Lincoln Memorial. Oh the adventures of Jo. I could fill volumes.

Last of all, I will be starting up session II (Roman numerals are way more cool than 2) of my music class. It will run for 10 weeks at $50 again. It will go from April 6th to June 8th. I'm taking children ages 3-5 years old. Wednesdays from 10-11am. If you want to come check out our first music class performance, let me know and I'll secretly pass on the place and time.

My little duckies in a row...

So, it is now time for my quarterly blogging! I've heard about people who make money blogging and I thought," Hey sign me up!" But then I found out you have to blog every day....about cool things people care about.... so that won't really work here.

So, a Christmas update on our little familia. Dave got a promotion at work so woo hoo! and finally! for us! I'm so proud of him! I bought a gym pass for my birthday and have been faithfully going 3x a week. I mostly just walk on the treadmill and watch CNN. Thrice I've taken the classes of death.(You see...excercise doesn't come naturally to me. "We build to that") Once I tried kickboxing and took the long walk of shame out of there. Oh my heck! hello! But I do have something to brag about...after a month or so of walking on the treadmill, yesterday I actually RAN for 5 minutes! I'm so proud of myself!!

Joseph is attending 2 preschools and doing really well. In fact, he played Joseph in the Christmas program at the Baptist preschool! He did great. He did 10 weeks of occupational therapy which was so awesome and for a couple of months we had an in home therapist who was super great with some of the hardest behaviors. Best of all.....he's pretty much 95% potty trained!woo hoo!

Speaking of potty trained, back in August Isaac decided to wear underwear one day. That night I tried to put him in diapers and we fought and fought over it! Finally he grabbed the diaper and chucked it across the room, and yelled, "No diapers any more!! He's good on the potty as long as I make him go regularly. Let's say 50% done. Not bad at all. He's funny as heck and says "What's your name Joseph?" He asks everyone their name and says "Nice to meet you!" He doesn't stop talking. Its hilarious.

So, it's starting to feel like I have my little duckies in a row, so I'm letting you be the first to know! I'm starting a little weekly music class. I'll send the email out soon to those whose emails I have. I'm very excited! It will be super fun and I'll be back into doing the thing I love. So, here's the short version...

It will start Wed. January 12th and go for 10 weeks. It will be each wednesday from 10-11am and cost $50. I'm taking children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years old. There will be a "concert" for friends and family the last week we meet together. Why not let your kiddo do something fun to break up the winter blahs!! Pass it on!

A diagnosis....FINALLY!

I've been meaning to write this for a week now, but I've been knee deep in poop. Literally. I cleaned poop off the carpet 4 times yesterday. 5 baths and 24 hours later, here I am. BUT! lucky for me, and you the reader, we finally have an answer to why the theme of my blogs are poop! Last monday Joseph was diagnosed as having high functioning autism. Earlier this year we went to a pyschologist who thought it sounded like he might have that, so we've had a little time to get used to the big "A" word. But on Monday we got in to see a neurodevelopment and behavior pediatrician to confirmed our suspicions. She's not calling it Aspergers quite yet. He also has the ADHD symptoms that usually go along with autism too. It was actually a huge relief to finally find out! I feel so validated. I get so tired of hearing he's just being a boy, or he's just 4, or so-and-so wasn't potty trained until blah blah blah. I get so tired of feeling like I'm being judged for being such a permissive mom and letting him get away with everything. I pick my battles like crazy!! So THERE! I'm not a crappy mom so stop judging!!! You just don't know what is going on in other people's lives and you just can't judge! The last 2 1/2 years have been nothing short of a nightmare!

During the month of July, Joseph attended an early intervention special ed. preschool. I was hoping he'd get to ride the short bus, but no such luck. A medium bus picked him up and dropped him off. At the end of the month, they decided he wasn't really special enough and needed to go to a regular preschool. Ok! NOW you tell me! With one month before school starts! Why is the dang underline on? So we finally found one. He'll be the token Mormon boy at the Brookwood Baptist Preschool! (Don't Baptists hate Mormons??) Or am I making that up? In the meantime he gets diagnosed and she thinks he definitely needs a special ed. preschool. Especially a social communications class. Urrgh...so now I'm trying to convince one school that he's special enough, and one that he's normal enough. Good grief! All the while trying to get Joseph to stop yelling "Ka-chow" at strangers.

I'm also trying to make appointments with a speech language pathologist for social communication and an OT for his sensory issues. His crazy "hippy" diet is the hardest thing in the entire world. For those not in the loop, besides his 20 allergies, he can't have milk, wheat, or sulfites (that's everything else). What is left??? What can I feed the poor boy? He's getting more picky all the time. This summer alone he's decided he doesn't like cantelope, blueberries, pizza, and waffles. All things he has previously loved. My head is spinning and I just want my little bubba and my little family to be normal.

Blaaahhh! That was a big fat emotional vomit. Who's going to clean THAT up???