Impossibly Scatter Brained

You know those days?  Well this morning I woke up feeling a little off and it was due to being impossibly scatter brained.  I would start doing something and then in the middle of that task I would think of another thing that needed to be done and would begin the new task - examples... unfortunately there seems to be too many, I was picking up the counter when I realized that I needed to get Ki a bib so I walked up the stairs to get the bib and remembered that someone was coming to the house the pick something up that was under my bed so I got down to get the item out from under my bed when I realized that there was a lot of junk under there that needed to be sorted  so I began sorting through the stuff, which led me to the garage where I remembered that I needed to repack the snack pack in my truck, which led me back into the kitchen where I was cleaning off the counter... Sakes, is just about all I have to say!
I wish I could say that my scatter brained morning was it, unfortunately not!  I had a scatter brained day, now I am sitting the basement while the boys play trying to get a few minutes to myself while I have a load of laundry washing, another drying and I am looking at all the toys on the floor thinking that I need to get to those while one arm is unsuccessfully trying to ref my two boys who seem to be at each others throats, literally!  So on to more impossible scatter brained evening.

Life is GREAT!

First off I want to thank everyone that has been praying for my little man Zeke!  In the last three or four days his stuttering has all but gone away!  I know that is due to the many people that love us and have spent some time on their knees in prayer... so for that THANK YOU, more than I can even begin to express.  Michael and I were talking yesterday about just what a transformation that has taken place in Zeke's speech in one week.  We discussed whether we cancel his appointment or just keep it and have them evaluate his articulation.  I think that is what we are going to do... so we will at this point keep our April 12th appointment and maybe it will be a waste of time, but at least it will put any of our concerns to rest!
Spring is here in Colorado!  Yes, we did have two snow storms in one week, but it is warm in between those snow storms!  Yesterday was a great day here... we laid around the house until 11am and then went to Costco and did our monthly shopping, came home and I put the groceries away and then walked to the park to meet Michael and Zeke.  The boys had a blast!  After the park we came home and napped and then had dinner and did our nightly snuggling!  Love days that we can spend as a family!

Beaded Necklace

On Thursday Zeke got a beaded necklaces from school.  He came home and immediately gave it to me so that evening I made dinner in my beads!  That night I took off the necklace to go to bed, Zeke was not too happy that I took it off.  Yesterday I was getting the house picked up and doing my morning routines and Zeke went and got the necklace and told me that I am supposed to wear it.  This morning as I was sitting here catching up on emails I see Zeke run upstairs and then comes back with my beads and tells me that I have to wear them... so...

Momporium

Today was Denver Momporium... when moms get together things happen.  Let me just say this was so much fun, it was a bunch of booths of moms that have businesses.  It was okay for me but Zeke was in heaven.  The day started at 10am... had to be there early to get my free bag!  Zeke got a cup of apple cider the minute we walked in and just scored snacks at just about every booth.  Zeke got to decorate a cookie and then eat it.  Zeke made slime at the Mad Science table.  He got his face painted with a little Elmo.  Zeke got to make a door knob hanger and got a cute pair of bug ears.  We left for lunch and then had to come back for another dose of fun!  Zeke got to climb around on a firetruck and then got a cute little balloon hat made for him!  Basically - four hours of pure fun for my little man Zeke... and you know what Ki did?  Slept!

Thoughtful Thursdays

I was looking through my past posts and I was noticing that there is a trend - it seems that Thursdays seem to be the day that I have the most to say, most of my Thursday posts are titled something a long the lines of randomness... so instead of doing that I figured that I would just make my Thursday posts be thoughtful...
Yesterday was a rough day for me.  I woke up in a funk and the rest of the day continued that way.  It didn't help that I had to scream - maybe it is just me but if I have to raise my voice much more then a "loudish" yell then I feel horrible... I feel horrible that I screamed, I feel bad that I let me anger get the best of me and I regret that I "spewed" on the closest victim.
I will say though that a few really good things came from my scream fest and yesterday in general - Michael and I took some time yesterday afternoon to sit down and talk!  Talk about real issues, talk about feelings, and what we are needing from each other.  We sat and talked for almost an hour while our boys quietly played together!  It was so nice, I felt so much better, I felt heard and loved!  I think that Michael and I have been going about life for a while now as two separate people and I really felt like yesterday was an opportunity for he and I to reconnect.  We had some good laughs, some insightful topics, and some trying things but we talked!  (As you can tell this is a huge thing that I needed and feel fulfilled that it happened in-spite of my funky feeling yesterday!)
A very consuming thing in my little world right now is Zeke!  I have shared that he has been struggling with stuttering and it only feels that as each day passes it only gets worse.  I can say that there are some days that we can get through a sentence with very little stuttering but then there are some days where a simple sentence becomes a three or four minute process.  I was sharing with my dad today that being a "fixer" by nature I wish there was something that I could do to fix it, for Zeke, for myself and for our family.  One of the hardest aspects of the stuttering is trying not to loose my mind and temper!  I often feel like I am going to crawl out of my skin when one word takes what feels like minutes to come spilling out of Zeke's mouth.  My heart breaks for my little man... in the last few days he has said to me that he has no words!  I have been trying to be as positive as possible and reassure him that he does have words but sometimes they are just a little bumpy!  So along with our count down to his birthday, which is 21 days in my mind I am also counting down the days until he and I go in for our appointment with the speech pathologist in 18 days!

Today after I picked up Zeke from school we ran to Safeway to get a few groceries for dinner tonight and Zeke being the big helper that he is decided that he was going to push the cart for me - mind you he can't see where he is going and has to walk on his tippy toes to even push the cart from the handle.  After a very slow and much longer trip we head to the front to pay for our groceries, as I am unloading the cart I find a little something that Zeke found and decided that he needed... chocolate covered raisins, this little independent shopper snuck them into the cart and I didn't even see them until I was checking out, such a little stinker!  The manager was checking us out and she took note of my little guy being such a big helper that she gave him a Mylar balloon - a nice Disney one, just for being a helper to his mommy.  It was so neat to see Zeke's face light up and spit out a thank you to the woman - it was equally neat that someone saw what a good boy Zeke is and rewarded him!
This afternoon as I was getting leftover lunches ready for the boys I just sat back for a minute and had one of those visions of what a great life I have and knew in those few seconds that this would be one of those memories that is stored in my mind for years to come... Zeke and Ki sitting at their table in the dinning room, Zeke helping Ki with a little snack and Ki smiling his little grin in admiration at his big brother.  I am truly blessed and sometimes I forget it in the hustle and bustle of life but recently I have been trying to take the time to remind myself of the small and daily blessings that happen!  Life sure is a fun ride, there are times that I feel my stomach drop, there are times that I feel a little anxious, but I know that it will all end well!

Dreams

I have been having really weird dreams lately... my dreams have been that I am searching for my husband.  I know in my dreams that I am married and married to Michael but I am constantly searching for him.  Example you might ask... my last dream was that we were in San Diego on vacation and I was going all over the place trying to find him and I eventually found him at the Wild Animal Park in the lorakeet landing. 
I didn't think much of these dreams but I was waking up from these dreams aware that I was searching for him and just kept it to myself.  Now the last few nights, four to be exact I have not had these dreams... the reasoning - Michael has been coming to bed.  Some might not think that is a strange statement, but Michael often sleeps on the couch - no there is not trouble!  Michael often falls asleep in front of the television and says that for him to wake up enough to come to bed is to wake up too much and then is not able to fall back to sleep.  However Michael has been making an effort to sleep in our bed and I have been sleeping so much better.  Silly maybe but a relieve to me... I was thinking that maybe something was going to happen to him - yeah I know dreams don't hold much weight but obviously they do!

Happy!

Ki has been such a happy little boy today, which is making up for the crabby little guy that he has been the last few days.  I think it was his little teeth cutting through and a possible ear infection that was making him grumpy.  I saw two little white "numbens" in his mouth this morning as he was laughing... however most would think that I am talking about his top front teeth, nope these are the side tops - so it looks like he has lost his front teeth, before he has even gotten them.

Five Steps

Baby steps none the less, but Ki is up to five steps now.  He looks like a little ape, arms flying high in the sky waving back and forth with each step.  I will have Michael clear off the flip video this weekend and I will see about getting a video of Ki taking his steps.  I tried taking a video with my camera and I was able to see if on my camera but once I take it off my camera and put it on my computer it only becomes black with the background noise. 

Productive

I absolutely love having productive days.  I love the feeling that when the day is over I can actually rest and know that I got a lot accomplished in the day.  Today I got my house cleaned... I have not done a good clean in about two weeks so today I scrubbed floors, bathrooms and dusted everything.  I got all the laundry washed, folded and put away - the putting away is always a hard one for me!  I got appointments made for the boys year check ups.  I also got to talk with the speech pathologist at Kaiser and got Zeke's appointment scheduled - it is a ways off unfortunately but it is made and it felt good to talk to someone that will be with us on the road to learning.  I made a yummy dinner and everything is already cleaned up from that.  The boys are both bathed and now are just playing in the living room.  Ahhh - lots of things checked off my list and it feels oh so good!
Another thing that happened today is that 9 news here in Denver will be interviewing a fellow Mothers and More member about the Power of a Purse campaign that I have been working on.  That is a huge thing - that I have been working on and to get the interview space and time has been something that I have been coordinating for the last two months.  On the Power of a Purse train of thought - one of the other chapters that we have partnered with got Aveda Salon to donate hair product to fill 96 purses as well as they have offered to send 10 stylists to the Haven House to do hair cuts for the ladies on April 25th.  I also today got a call from my local Target saying that they will donate a gift card to our campaign that I will pick up tomorrow!  It seems like all the planning and coordinating that we all have been doing for the last four months is really starting to pay off!

In the words of Bob Aurich...

"Welcome to Colorado!"  

This morning when I woke up to snow after having a week of absolutely perfect weather I could hear our friend's Bob's all famous words. 

I have decided that in the almost two years we have been out here to never be surprised by the weather - this morning was a good example of why!  This week we had temperatures in the mid 60s to low 70s.  The boys and I played in the backyard everyday soaking up the sun and breathing in the fresh spring air.  Last night it started getting really windy and chilly and when the boys and I got up this morning there was "fancy rain" falling from the sky and the streets were white.  I was laughing with my friend Piedad this week saying that year round there really is no need to pack up seasonal clothes.  One day you could be in shorts and a tank and the next be in long underwear, pants, two shirts, a scarf and a jacket! 

Sakes Alive!

Mommy's Heart Update

Just thought I would write a little update... The day that I wrote up my first entry about Zeke's speech I made a call to his pediatrician, which was last Thursday.  On Monday I got a call from his pediatrician saying that he put in the referral for Zeke to see the speech therapist.  Normally Zeke would have to be seen by him first and then at that point he would refer us out, but he said that he had noticed a little trouble with Zeke's language at Ki's last appointment and now that I am aware of it and that his school has also made notice of it he just wrote up the referral.  So now we are waiting for a call from the speech therapist to set up an appointment.  Zeke's pediatrician said that it would take three to four days before I hear from them about setting up an appointment (today is day four).  So I am patiently waiting to hear back and until then trying to be very patient with Zeke and the time it takes him to say stuff.  Granted not every time he opens his mouth is it a long and drawn out process, but there are sometimes that he starts in on a sentence and after the first few words have finally made it out I have already lost track of what it was that he was saying and I tend to tune out - not a good thing because then I have to try and figure it all out again and that is another few painful minutes!  So my hope is that I hear from the speech therapist today to schedule an appointment and hopefully I don't have to wait weeks before we can actually get it to be seen!

I'm Just Sayn'

To all those single moms out there - you rock!  I know that most of you did not choose to be single moms and I am sure that there are days that you would give just about anything to have a partner - but you have dealt with the hand that has been given to you and some of you are doing it with a stellar attitude!
Michael was gone for 36 hours - well sure he came home and slept last night from 1:30am to 7am but we never even got to see him.  I can't even begin to explain how happy I am that Michael is now home!  My boys need their daddy - they need to have their wrestle time with daddy, mommy just does not do it right, I suppose! 
Today, Ki took another digger and it stresses me out.  Zeke was a big helper yesterday and today but by bath time he was done with being with just me - he needed daddy time and therefore started melting down.  Back to Ki's digger... the boys and I were playing in the backyard Zeke decided that he was going to drop his pants and "water" our backyard so I jumped to get him and ran him into the bathroom.  As I dropped Zeke in the bathroom I heard a scream from the backyard.  I ran out there to find Ki laying on his back in the rocks, picked him up immediately and began the full body look over.  The search stopped at the back of his head where dime sized egg was already forming.  A quick phone call to my dad, ice pack and some crying - we were fine! 

Hazard Lights

I found myself today thinking multiple times " It is never dull here!"  This afternoon I was driving to Costco to pick up a few items and I started thinking this deep and meaningful thing to sit down and write when I got home.  Did I actually write it... nope!  The afternoon got crazy and here I am now sitting at 7:30 and I am trying to remember all of the good points that I had made in my mental notes.  Am I the only one that does that?  As I was driving I saw something that reminded me of another thing that sent me down a long road of mental notes of things to bring home and write out. 
As my memory has been fogged a little by the afternoon chaos that has taken place in my home I will try to relay some of the points that were oh, so profound this afternoon.
I was driving to Costco as I earlier stated and I came up to a women driving down the road very slowly with her hazard lights on.  Being that I was coming upon her from the front I could see why she was driving so slowly with her hazards on - she was following a stray dog that was walking down the middle of the street.  Now being that I was in the front I could see why this lady was driving the way she was.  The long line of drivers behind her could not see the dog and they were impatiently honking and flinging arms.  Two of the drivers swerved out from behind this lady (mind you, now they are in my lane) yelling out their window as they passed her... both of these cars that passed her were driven by men - just putting that out there. 
This picture struck me from a conversation I had with a friend only a few hours earlier.  So stick with me here (this is a picture into how my mind works... it could get a little confusing).  Keep the above story in your mind as I tell this next one and then at the end of both I will bring it all together, just wait!
Today was MOPS and preschool, I had just finished MOPS and had a half an hour to kill until I had to get Zeke.  I usually go out to the car and put everything away from MOPS so I have less to carry when I have Zeke.  Today was a little different - I didn't do my usual, I just hung out in the hall in front of Zeke's class.  As I was standing there a friend of mine that I met through MOPS but no longer is in MOPS walks by me.  I give my "How are you smile?" and what happened next blew my socks off.  This friend and I usually exchange this smile and go on our ways... to day was different.  She looked me in the eyes and said, "Can I unload?"  I was not sure what that was going to mean for me or her but smiled and said, "Sure!"  For the next twenty minutes she shared with me that she was pregnant (which I knew) but after she had informed me of this months earlier she miscarried not long after.  Two days after she miscarried her husband of four years informed her that he did not lover her any more and was not interested in being with her any more.  Being the positive person that she is said to her straying husband, let's work it out, we can make it work!  Things only became more strained and through emails intercepted by herself as well as text messages she discovered that there was another women.  Needless to say two days ago a woman called their home phone asking for her boyfriend.  So yesterday she sent her husband out of their house.  My twenty minute conversation with this friend really saddened me - she admitted that she is in the angry stage and just needed to unload.  I left that talk, feeling grateful for my husband, thankful that I was there for her but mostly just burdened to pray for her.
Now comes the tying the two stories together...  So often we as women drive around through life with our hazard lights on.  We are either hurting within or guarding those around us by carrying their hazards, as it were.  As in both stories I had a different visual I was in the front of the situation, therefore I could see the hazard.  For my friend, my smile was there and she knew her story would be safe with me to unload it and maybe help eliminate some of the pent of anger.  For the women driving her big SUV, no one behind her could see that she was driving like she was because of the dog in the street - they just passed her with horns honking and arms waving. 
Take the time to find out about your friends, check to make sure their "hazard lights" aren't flashing.  If those lights are flashing, maybe a smile will bring out the story.  Don't let your friends go through life with their "hazard lights" flashing and not take the time to take a step back to gain another perspective and offer a smile, ear, and shoulder!

Sleep, ha!

So after I wrote my post last night my little man Ki decided to wake up at 9pm and was up until 12am - I guess the first was just a nap.  Geesh!  It wasn't too horrible since I was awake and it is always hard for me to sleep very well when Michael is not at home at night.  Ki and I snuggled on the couch and I caught myself back up on Parenthood and Survivor compliments of On Demand. 
This morning at 6am both boys woke up with what seemed to be just bad dreams because once Ki and I went in to Zeke's room and snuggled, everyone fell back to sleep.  Well, that is everyone except me.  For whatever reason my head has been running a mile a minute with not a lot of stuff but it just seems to never shut off.  I have sat and prayed, counted sheep, and then spent some time just pure thinking - all I come up with is this overwhelming sense that there is something coming, just not sure what. 
Off today for MOPS and preschool, gotta get myself dressed and get my boys ready too.  Have a great day!

Fresh Air

There is something to be said about fresh air... today my boys played outside for hours on end.  Tonight both of the boys were out at 7pm - it felt good to have sleeping boys and get some quiet time to myself.  Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy from our outside play and wonderful weather!

A Mommy's Heart

As a mom there are times that you just know something is going on, how far do you push for things for your children?  Today was one of those days that my mommy heart was really breaking.  Over the last three weeks I have seen my little Zeke grow and mature and to that I am tremendously blessed.  In addition to this mature level that has come over Zeke has come something that is really been eating away at me.  Zeke has been struggling with his speech, he has always been a little hard to understand being that most of his words don't have beginning consonants and if they do they are usually not the right ones!  Lately Zeke has been battling with his little mind getting ahead of his mouth and leaving him studdering. 
This morning after four melt downs due to my lack of understanding what he is trying to say or my lack of patience needed to understand him, I was at a breaking point.  Feeling like I am not being the best mom for him I was just at a loss!  What am I supposed to do to help my little man get his words out in a way that I and others can understand him. 
Feeling a little desperate I went to the school down the street from my house and spoke with their speech therapist, she gave me some information and told me about the Child First program.  Then shared with me that if Zeke is not in a Jefco school that he does not qualify.  Plus being that he is not yet three they will not even consider him.  And to top it all off she said that I could try calling but being that we are nearing the end of the school year they will not talk to me until the fall.  Needless to say I was feeling more desperate and overwhelmed.  After the run around with the school I went to pick up my little man at preschool. 
As I am picking him up his teacher pulled me aside and quietly asked me if I have noticed Zeke's studdering... I almost lost it right then and there.  I shared with her my morning and also shared with her my time at the school.  She very compassionately suggested to me that I go and speak with the preschool director who apparently has a son that studders and she worked with the school system to get him help. 
After a thirty minute talk with the preschool director she encouraged me and simply said that maybe calling and talking with Zeke's primary care doctor would be the first and easiest way to handle this.  She said that she had gone through the same insurance that we have and was able to get her son tested and then was able to build a plan from there.  So that is where I am!  I just called and talked with the doctor's nurse, she said that she would send the doctor an email and then get back to me. 
I want to make sure that I am doing what is right!  I don't want to make a big deal about something that really is not a big deal, but in the back of my mind this has been there and with the growing frustration on Zeke's level my heart only continues to break.  I know that I want what is best for him, but is sending him for testing too early?  Is it going to only worsen the situation?  My head is spinning, I wish my babies came with manuals so that I knew what to do and what was the best option for them.  So please pray for me, pray that I do what is best for Zeke, pray that I push when I need to push and I sit back and let things happen when the time calls!

Bra Hunting

(I know Michael is going to scold me for posting such a topic, but us ladies can all understand the dilemma that comes from the following...)
Today I dropped off Zeke at preschool and had this feeling that I just needed to do something for myself.  Although yes a massage would be nice or even a long hot shower with no one disturbing me would be grand - I did still have Ki with me.  So I thought about it for a little bit and then decided that I would head to the mall because I had a gift card with $12 remaining on it from Christmas - I thought that maybe I would find something nice for myself (yeah, I know $12 at Macy's was not going to buy me something in it's entirety but Michael gave me $20 this weekend.)  Being a mom first, I stopped in the boys isle and found a few shirts that I thought were cute and even considered buying the shirts for the boys and calling it good.  Instead I stopped and stood in the store and made the conscience effort to find something for myself.  I walked to the pajama isle and looked around, I looked and I looked - I couldn't justify paying $25 for another pair of pajama bottoms.  Then of course a few sections over was the bra isles.  Let me honestly say that I was lost.  I sat there fingering all the soft and silky materials thinking, "Where do I even begin, the last time I wore a bra for myself was before I had babies, which basically meant that I was wearing nothing really even then with not much God given!"  I think the sales lady saw my puzzlement and came and started pulling bras off the racks and helped me out.  After trying on twelve bras at Macy's I left with tears in my eyes.  This one was itchy, this one was too small, this one was too big, this one bunched all the wrong spots, this one gathered in the front... the list of complaints was twelve long.  Feeling slightly depressed and just bummed I decided that maybe if I went to Victoria Secret I might find something there, yes I know I didn't have a gift card for there, I just thought maybe with all the fun and cute bras that they have I am sure to find something!  I walked in and pronounced to the sales girl that I was a bra buying virgin and I have no idea where to begin.  She started by measuring me and then handed me a box of seven bras that were my size.  Out of those seven I actually found one that I liked - it fit me made me feel cute!  My shopping adventure was looking up - until... I asked if they had it in another color other then white.  She searched the entire store and came back with a sad look and informed me that they only have white in my size - are you kidding me?  I guess being that I have such a wide chest and small "assets" the two are a hard match - so white was all she had.  The feeling of depression set in and I tried to hold back my tears and thanked her for her time and left, no bra, just my sad self - oh yeah and a crying Ki.  Why does the search for a bra have to be such a hard one?  I think that wearing tanks with the shelf bras might just be my under garment for the rest of my life! 

Skiing

For the first time in years Michael is going skiing.  I am so excited for him, I had a hard time sleeping last night because I was so excited for him - How silly is that?  Yesterday afternoon a snow storm headed into Littleton which meant that Michael wasn't going to be able to work today.  In passing a few days ago I told him about a deal that a Mothers & More member had sent out about $15 lift tickets to Loveland.  Last night Michael got home from work and he was talking on the phone with his buddy Kyle and was saying that they would take the rest of the week off and hit it hard next week.  In my head I was thinking, "Yeah my hubby is going to be home which means that he is going to get the kitchen the rest of the way painted!"  Selfish, yeah maybe.  Little did I know that his buddy was saying, "Didn't your wife tell you about a $15 lift ticket?"  While Michael was showering I went up to say "Hi" and asked him very casually about what his plans were going to be for the next few days if he wasn't going to be working.  He immediately asked about the lift tickets... I chuckled and said, "Are you wanting me to find out more information?"  About a half an hour later we were at Christy's Sports and Michael was jumping around saying, "I am going skiing!"  His face was that of a child in the candy store... I just had to laugh, he was so excited.  I could tell that as he stood there talking with the sales person that he was going through his mind some of his favorite skiing moments - he was not at all present, yeah his body was there but his head was skiing down the slopes of his younger years.  After we left Christy's we went to the Sports Authority Outlet and Michael got snow pants, long underwear, a hat and goggles for $65... pretty good I thought!  All the time I could tell he was reminiscing the days back when he had hair blowing in the breeze as he flew down the mountain slopes!  (Like how I put the hair thing in there?  He kept saying that the last time he went skiing he had hair, so it only fits!)  After all our errands to get Michael set up for a day of trying to remember what it is like being on the mountains... Michael took us out to dinner.  We went to Red Robin and got their chophouse burgers (the ones on special that are $6) and they were really good.  The night ended early - the boys were in bed by 7:45 and Michael and I watched a few of our shows and then fell asleep ourselves.  The alarm sounded at 6am and Michael and Kyle headed for Loveland about an hour ago.  I sure hope that they have fun!  

Purses

This was written by a fellow Denver Mothers & More member... I thought it could not have been put any better, so I wanted to share it!

My mom loves to tell the story of when I was a little girl and I thought that anybody carrying a purse was somebody’s mother. One day we were in our front yard when two teenage girls walked by carrying purses. My mom was horrified when I yelled out “Hey, where are those mothers going?”

Now I’m much older and have a toddler of my own, who has also has a knack for saying the “right” things. As a grown woman I now realize that a purse really is the ultimate symbol of womanhood, as well as motherhood. It’s like a little magic bag of tricks that we carry around with us that holds ALL the answers. In any given purse you will find a wallet full of independence, the car keys to our freedom, a lipstick tube of self-esteem, photographs of the people closest to our hearts and maybe a cell phone filled with life-lines. If you look in a mommy’s purse you might find a few additional magic fix-it’s, like a band aid or a juice box.

The Mothers and More group that I belong to will be hosting a brunch next month for the 90 + woman who are residences of The Haven House here in Denver. As part of this special day for them, we’ll be giving each of them a purse.

The Haven is an 90-bed Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) located in Denver, Colorado for women, mothers and their infants. Licensed by the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD), the program offers long-term, intensive treatment for clients with addictions. Many of the clients are referred from the Department of Human Services, the criminal justice system and homeless shelters.

Established in 1992, The Haven was the first program in Colorado to accept infants into residence while their mothers received substance abuse treatment – keeping children out of the foster care system. This unique program has shown great success with over 90 percent of mothers who enter The Haven remaining drug, alcohol, and crime-free two years after completion. Haven clients typically stay nine to 12 months in residential treatment, followed by an additional 12 months of outpatient MTC treatment services.

Maybe I was onto to something at that young age. Okay… not every woman carrying a purse is a mom, but every mom should have a purse! I am asking all my friends and family to donate a new or gently used purse, so we can provide each of these young women (average age 18 to 25) a symbol of the future ahead of them. If you are here in Denver, please let me know if you have a purse to donate and I’ll make arrangements to get them from you.

If you don’t live in Colorado that’s okay, go grab your purse and make a donation (they like money too). Their website is:
http://www.havenfriends.org/donations/

Greater than ourselves

I am very excited about this campaign called the Power of a Purse!  This campaign is all about giving to mothers and letting them know that we do see the value in what they do! 

Every Mother's Day, Mothers & More has a campaign to raise awareness that the work we do, caring for our families has social and economic value.

Power of a Purse works by asking women to donate new or gently used purses as well as items to fill the purses that we can give to mothers in need. A new purse can do a lot to boost a woman's confidence, and can be her "home away from home" – a place to keep her most needed items each day. A purse also symbolizes economic power – the ability to buy things and to provide for yourself and your children. Through this campaign, we will learn about the financial issues that impact mothers.


If you have purses or are able to provide services to the women of Haven House located in Denver please let me know.  We are hoping to give these women a day of pampering... hair, nails, massages and even take their pictures!

Our event will take place on Sunday, April 25th at the Haven House.

Below is an interview that was done by the founder of this campaign last year... I hope that it sparks some excitement for you and gets you motivated to help collect purses for our event!

Thoughts from today...

Malachi is going to eat us out of our home!  I always thought that Zeke was a big eater... now I see that she does not really hold a light to his brother.  I am not sure how we are going to afford these two boys grocery bill come a few years from now, let alone high school years.
Naps... I know that naps are often more for myself then for my boys, with that being said - I love naps!  Zeke today fought taking a nap, and after thirty five minutes of battling with him I just gave up.  Ki on the other hand took a three hour nap.  I am not sure how much more of a nap he would have taken, at three hours I went and woke him up.  I will say though that Ki only took that one nap today - I really think he is trying to dump the morning nap but it never seems to work out well for him, we are usually in the car around that time due to dropping off Zeke at preschool and I think it is just habit to fall asleep.  I am hoping though that this one big nap today will really help him!  Maybe we will have a happy Ki all evening?!?!  One can wish, right?
Okay, this is going to be slightly gross but - I had not showered since Friday night and it is amazing how grouchy I get from not taking a nap.  I have known that a shower can make me feel better but in the daily grind of motherhood it just takes too much time to get a shower done.  Usually if I get my boys down for naps I spend that time cleaning, preparing dinner, or catching up on emails.  Today even though Zeke did not nap, I stuck him in front of Tom and Jerry and jumped in the shower - I washed my hair, shaved my legs and then just enjoyed the hot water running down my sore back!  I was even able to get out of the shower and do my hair... kind of pushed to do that since I have a Mothers & More meeting tonight, but ahhh, I feel human again and my grouchiness is gone!
Today while at Target getting a few things I found a pair of leggings - aka stretch pants from the 80's.  I have been so resistant to buying a pair, because it reminds me of the 80's - next thing I figured would be body suites and scrunchy socks.  The leggings were $6 and I figured if anything they would be another layer to keep me warm under my jeans if I really didn't feel like I could pull them off.  Let me say, "Why did I not buy these sooner?"  They are so comfortable, I don't look huge like I was afraid and some of my dresses that I have not worn in a while because I felt like they were a little short for a dress look really cute with them.  For my Mothers & More meeting tonight I am wearing a cute white linen long dress shirt a purple long length tank and the new pair of black leggings - if I don't say so myself, I think my outfit is cute - I will have to wait until Michael gets home to see what he says or for that matter doesn't say to really know, but if anything I am comfortable!
The last few times I have made my chocolate chip cookies they just have not turned out quiet what they did the first few times... so today I decided that instead of measuring the flour and sugar by cups like I normally do I would measure it by grams.  I have been told that measuring by grams is the most exact way... so we shall see.  The dough is cooling in the fridge and I will start baking in a few minutes so that I can take some with me to the meeting and leave some with my wonderful hubby while he watches both the boys tonight for me!  A little incentive to babysit! : )

Uterus

This week I got the boys down for their naps and then I sat down on the couch to vedge.  I decided to flip through the channels and I landed on Dr. Oz - I had never before watched this show before.  The topic was hysterectomy - yes or no, when or when not.  I watched it and I just wanted to laugh at some of the women's comments. 
One lady that had a hysterectomy years prior said that she suffered from depression after having her uterus removed, she said that she mourned for her organ.  Another lady said that she would never have a hysterectomy because she just can't imagine parting with any part of her - although I did think it was funny that she had really short hair... isn't that a part of her? 
Within the last three weeks I can tell you that I know why women say, "Yank that sucker out!"  If I am done with it's services... baking my babies - then why in the world would I want to keep it?  Needless to say at this present time I am thinking yank that sucker out... if we are done having babies then I am done housing this thing in me that only gives me trouble!

Oh Sakes

To say that last night was rough is an understatement!  After the "me art" incident I got dinner made, the boys and I ate dinner and it was nice.  After dinner I was cleaning up and Zeke comes into the kitchen coughing, coughing, coughing and then wha-la... throw up all over my floor, not once but twice.  I get that cleaned up and then Ki starts in on a meltdown!  Michael gets home takes his shower and then we all try to have some quiet time and relax on the couches.  Ki wants nothing to do with that.  So I take him upstairs to go to bed... an hour later, after much screaming he falls asleep... for like twenty minutes.  Pretty much the whole night was full of little cat naps interrupted by crying!  At midnight I wake up to Zeke crawling in bed with me and hacking up his lung, practically!  After getting him to calm down and drink some water I get him back in his bed.  Only to have Michael come up to bed and continue with the hacking and coughing.  Sakes alive!  I think my boys have it out for me, I have been able to ward off the crud for myself pretty much but all the coughing, snot and throw up may just break down my defenses! So with all that said, I woke up this morning confident that if I don't get a little time to myself in the near future I might break down and need to be sent to the loony bin!  A person can only endure so much coughing, so much crud and so little sleep for so long and then... snap, she be crazy!  So if you see me and my hair is a mess (much like it is now) and my eyes are twitching and I am speaking gibberish, you will know why - the loony bin would not take me and nurses Zeke and Ki are slipping me crazy doses!

Is that washable?

This afternoon after naps I set up a box of crayons and colored pencils and a large piece of butcher paper.  I had the great idea that Zeke could quietly color while I get dinner made.  I stepped into the living room for not more then five minutes and I hear Zeke get down from the table and walk into the living room.  He had a big grin on his face and he said, "Look me art!"  He was indeed a piece of artwork... his cheeks, neck, and hands were colored with a few markers that he had found on the counter from something that I had done while he was sleeping.  I had a hard time hiding my laughter, he was so proud that he made art - on himself!  I hid my laughter and smile and gave a disappointing glare, Zeke's big grin turned upside down and he started to cry.  I had to scold him for making himself artwork and told him that crayons, pencils and pens are only to be put on paper.
Thought you might enjoy the Zeke artwork...

Green Sludge

In hopes of the green sludge going away from my boys noses we are not doing pre-school today.  Zeke woke up with very little pouring from his nose so I will admit the temptation to take him to school was great, but my thought is that maybe between today and tomorrow we will rid it completely.  At least that is my hope!  Maybe I keep bringing him back to school when his immunities are not totally built back up from the last Thursdays crud.  It is worth a try, this stuff is just about going to be my breaking point. 
Sunday I was talking with Michael and was saying that I can't wait until it gets warm enough where I can open windows and get fresh air circulating through the house.  I think that will help!  So basically one good snow storm will be welcomed and then lets get on with Spring.  I need some fresh air and I need it to be warm enough to send the boys in the backyard to play.