bountifulplate

One of my favorite things to do is to mow our yard.  I like getting the exercise and getting that feeling of  accomplishment when it's all done.  Where I live, the weather has been unseasonably hot.  I decided to mow the lawn yesterday, since today's temperature is supposed to be about 95.  I guess part of me is still a little (okay, a lot)  in denial that I have a couple of heart conditions.  Since I am now on four medications to control it, I kind of feel like I'm invincible and can do pretty much whatever I used to do before I was diagnosed. WRONG!! Yesterday, after I mowed the lawn,  I spent most of the rest of the day feeling like a 100-year old lady lying down on the couch recovering with the added bonus of the beginnings of a migraine!!  What I am slowing realizing, is that I have to remember that I do have these heart conditions and thank goodness they are being controlled properly for the time being with my medications.  I also ...

If you read just one book about Autism, take the time to read, "Carly's Voice."  It is written by Arthur Fleischmann.  He wrote the book along with his daughter, Carly, who is nonverbal and has Autism.  I found it to be one of the most moving and inspirational books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this book to ALL parents. If your child doesn't have Autism, it will give you some insight as to what it's like. If your child does have Autism, you can probably relate (as I did) to some of the family's experiences. I have written on my blog about how those days before Dominic talked and could not communicate with us as some of  the hardest and most difficult days as a mom.  Imagine if you knew you might never hear your child speak, EVER.  Carly's mom and dad worked endlessly to find a way to communicate with her. They finally found the "key" to her being able to communicate was through a computer. She has had aides and therapists t...

I was thinking this past Monday night, when the four of us were all about five feet from each other, all doing different things, that it will probably be a long time until I have an empty "nest."  More than one of my friends have kids that are graduating or have already graduated from high school.  I have friends whose kids are even already married!!! They are around my age (or younger).  It took me several years to find my "Prince Charming."  I was in my early thirties when I had Lauren and my early forties when I had Dominic.  The hubby likes to tell people he had a kid every decade (my stepson in the 80's, Lauren in the 90's and Dominic in the 2000's)! I think it blows a lot of people's minds that he has a 7-year old (my husband has a big birthday later this year that starts with a "6" and ends with a "0").  I want our home to always be a place where my stepson, Lauren and Dominic always feel welcome.  Our door is always open. ...

For a while, Dominic's bedtime routine would involve the hubby, Lauren and I each reading him a certain book.  The hubby's was called, "Dirty Larry", mine was "Animal Babies" and Lauren's was "Surprise." We had to go in his room in the same order and read only those certain books to him.  I had high hopes it would last for a while, it lasted about a month.  Since that time, it has evolved to no book, but instead each of us still going in to his room, in the same order. When my husband goes in, he says to Dominic, "I'm going to make you snug as a bug in a rug." He tucks Dominic in real tight, he has always liked that tight compression wrapped around him.  He also requests the hubby put a blanket on the bed called the "rainbow" blanket, even though there are bears all over it.  He usually tosses it on the floor just to bust the hubby's chops :)  My husband then says, "who's next?"  Dominic says, "...

Back in the middle of May, my dad flew out to visit our family for a week. I enjoy these visits, because he has got to spend more time with the kids and has really gotten to know them much better.  He is amazed by how much progress Dominic has made.  Lauren and my dad love to talk about anything history related (which makes me want to take a nap)!!  As my dad gets older, I am reminded that his trips here to visit us will become more and more difficult for him to manage.  This past March he turned 77.  It's hard for me to believe that in three years he will be 80.   The picture above was from a really long time ago, I don't even think I could sit up yet, so I'm guessing I was less than six months old.  It's kind of interesting my dad is putting a hat on my head, because I absolutely detest hats!!!  I love having conversations with my dad.  The morning of my wedding, I remember I couldn't sleep (guess I was nervous). I spent the night...

  As I sat looking at the above yesterday, I was thinking there must be a better way to "tame" my papers!! If so, I guess I don't know what it is :)  My bills are always paid on time and permission slips and such are always signed and sent back to school.  I really had high hopes on Monday, that I could get the papers on the counter organized.  I had my papers spread all over the kitchen table in several small piles.  Instead, before I knew it,  it got to be about dinner time and my husband said something like, "when are you planning on putting all these papers away??"  Once again, I put all my papers back on the kitchen counter. What I've found, is that I really need just a few hours to sort through everything. With the ending of the school year (Lauren is done, Dominic is not) and planning summer activities,  finding those few couple of  "free" hours has been a bit challenging!!  I'll sit down and start and then the phone will ring ...

Have you ever had so much mind "clutter," that you did something absentmindedly? Well, a few weeks ago, I accidentally took one of Dominic's Ritalin tablets!!  I keep 3 out of the 4 medicines that I take for my heart "issues" on our kitchen counter as well as his bottle of Ritalin.  I guess I was thinking about the new medicine the cardiologist just put me on and was also thinking it was time to give Dominic his third Ritalin dose of the day.  After I realized what I had done, I hyperventilated a little kind of wondering what the reaction would be.  He is on a small dose (5 mg), thank goodness, so I kind of sat back and waited to see what might happen.  Luckily, there was no bad reaction, it actually kept me more focused for the next couple of hours than I had been all day. I sometimes wonder if I have ADHD :)  I think when you're a mom/parent, your mind is always one step ahead thinking about what you have to do next.  I'll never forget one time I was...

When Dominic was really little, the only place I took him out on a regular basis was the grocery store.  I would put him in the front part of the cart, strap him in and pray he didn't try to stand up or cry too much.  I was always afraid people would know that he had Autism and stare at us. I would work myself up into a flap and then Dominic would pick up on my anxiety.  If Lauren was with us, I would bark at her to help me more, and I usually would almost be in tears. Those days were pretty rough. As I got more confident, we started taking him out to restaurants.  We relied on a Game Boy or Nintendo DS handheld to keep him distracted.   His teachers at school have done a great job with him and have taught him to stay seated when he is supposed to.  Dominic has gone bowling a few times with his classmates and it was reported back to me that he did pretty well.  In the Fall of 2011, we started bowling with some other families through a Special Need...