Librarian Mom

John Oliver's Comments on Houghton/Hancock

2011-12-26T17:45:00.001-05:00

Jokes.com

John Oliver - Exactly Where I Need to Be

comedians.comedycentral.com

John Oliver

Comedians

Stand-Up

The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism: An Autistic's Advice: Ten Tips for Teachers

2011-12-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism: An Autistic's Advice: Ten Tips for Teachers: Lydia Wayman autisticspeaks.wordpress.com There is so much misinformation and so many misperceptions out there about people with disabili...

Long overdue

2011-07-19T16:21:00.000-04:00

Geez, I realized that I never updated about our second round to Marshfield Clinic! Oops, things have been busy, sorry.
All four of us went to Marshfield's this time. Thank goodness the motel had an indoor pool. And we revisited a Mexican restaurant that we enjoyed on our first visit.
When we went to the clinic it was an all day/one day visit this time. We arrived at 7:30 AM for a 7:45 AM start. Aidan, Mies and I met with another neuro-psychologist, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. (Andrew was catered to/entertained by the receptionist staff). It was determined, as we suspected, that Aidan is NOT on the autism spectrum. However, they agreed that he is in fact dyslexic and most likely his inattention is stemming from ADHD along with sensory processing disorder.
What does that mean??? Well, Aidan will need OT for sure, at this time, we are waiting to see if he can receive some services through the school. He might need to be medicated for ADHD. The medication process involves a 4 week, double-blind study to see what (if any) level of medication will be needed. We, on the advice of the neuro-psychologist, are waiting to do the medication study sometime in the fall. Since we went Marshfield in May, and met with the school a week later, it just made sense to wait for the next school year.
Needless to say, we're waiting for fall...HOWEVER, that doesn't mean we're not working with Aidan at home. His second grade teacher gave us some reading books that are an easier level (late 1st/early 2nd), but he is getting through the pile, slowly, but surely. Plus, she set home a large stack of math sheets that he finished early on. He loves math. Although, he can reverse numbers in his answers, which is a bit frustrating for him. He needs to learn to double check his work, which isn't a bad habit to get into.
I have been reading books upon books about sensory processing disorder. I have yet to try any activities at home...I'm not 100% confident whether I could do them "right" and/or get the best result. I hope to get some pointers from the OT this fall.
So there...that is what happened in round 2 w/ Marshfield Clinic. Which, by the way, is a great clinic! The staff is very helpful and friendly, as are the professionals. We had a great experience there, all in all.

An oldie, but still a goodie. Medieval helpdesk

2011-06-10T12:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks Glee.

2011-05-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Glee, I've been thinking about the song, "For Good", which has sparked a wave of grief for everyone I've lost in my life. So, I'm dedicating this song to them.

Journey to Marshfield, Wisconsin

2011-04-26T12:18:00.002-04:00

On March 31 and April 1, Aidan had his first visit (of 2) to Marshfield Clinic. During this trip we discovered that Aidan does, in fact, have developmental dyslexia. This came as no real surprise for Mies and I, since he has been struggling with reading, not hearing sounds, reversing letters, etc. I think I may have mentioned this suspicion in an earlier blog. The good news that emerged from this trip is that the school jumped on this diagnosis and Aidan has been receiving remedial assistance, and has made some HUGE improvements in less than a month's time. He's no where near where his classmates are in reading ability, but he's been working hard with both Title I and pull out services. Plus, when he goes to the after school program two days/week, they've been working with him on his spelling words, which has brought up his spelling grade!

The second phase of the Marshfield experience is coming soon. On the previous trip, the 2 professionals we saw; one pediatrician and one neuro-psychologist, both felt Aidan was on the cusp of either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) (the later was formally PDD-NOS, but I think the DSM-V or DSM-5 is dropping the "Not Otherwise Specified" portion). On this trip (round 2) he will meet with one more psychologist, also with a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. It will be an all day thing, a long day for all of us, but especially Aidan.

This is where is gets a bit nerve-racking. I've always felt Aidan has sensory processing issues, he reacts negatively to the Me-Protocol and to gentle massages from a massage therapist. His legs hurt if he stands or sits in one place for longer than 2 minutes, so he needs to "stretch"(his words). He needs to sleep with several blankets on him, all year round, or in the summer, he will "cocoon" himself in his sheet. He's very clumsy, always falling, stubbing toes, tripping, etc. He always falls out of his chair or if he does sit successfully, it's on his knees while leaning over a table to write/draw. Noises and motion are highly distracting (and not in an inattentive way). Now try and take all those issues and sit and learn in today's classroom! I dare you to try and learn with all this going on in YOUR body. I don't feel he is either PDD nor has ADHD, but has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). And yes, I'm a little angry (like that wasn't obvious). Not with anyone/anything in particular, but it is distressing when you have one child that has external issues that affect them, let alone two.

The sad thing about SPD is that it isn't recognized as a learning disability and hard to get services just for SPD. Most children who have SPD are misdiagnosed as being either autistic or having ADHD, since SPD is prevalent with those diagnosis. A common phrase I hear is that everyone on the autism spectrum (like Andrew) has SPD, but not everyone with SPD has autism. Similar things said about ADHD.

So, now, we wait, wait for the visit to see where they place Aidan. I'm positive the OT will see his SPD and the speech therapist will see mild speech apraxia. [Side note with my speech concerns: when the ENT removed Aidan's tonsil and adenoids (when Aidan was 3 yo) the doc. told me that Aidan's soft palate was having a hard time sealing against the back of the throat (?), but he told me it would correct itself--what if it is affecting his speech ? I don't know]. One might think that with all the "experience" we have in the world of Autism Spectrum Disorder, that this would be a "piece of cake" for Mies and I. I can honestly say, that this time is different, literally and emotionally.

It is hard not to take these diagnoses (for both boys) personally. What did I do wrong? Did I miss something allow the way? Should I have noticed things or spoken up more when I did? I did put forth so much energy when Andrew was diagnosed as having HFA that I think I burnt myself out. So, when I started noticing things were "off" with Aidan, I just ignored it, thinking that he was imitating Andrew's behaviors and that when he went to school, then he'd be fine, "normal". The dyslexia part was noticeable in kindergarten and am glad that it was finally diagnosed for Aidan, but the other quirky and sensory processing stuff, I thought was imitation. Honestly. I know it sounds stupid now, but given the circumstances, like where we live there aren't many young children in our neighborhood and with Andrew being HFA, we never joined things or went to many places where there would be a lot of children. Because if we did then Andrew would either "retreat" within himself or when he was younger have a tantrum, so going places was hard. And then it's explaining why my son is like this -- like it is my fault, or is contagious or something. I'm sorry, I didn't want to be the freak show!! I know that sounds harsh, but think about it...people pointing, whispering, or acting like I have the plague, because my autistic child is having sensory processing issues. It's exhausting, having to explain...so we went to fewer and fewer places/events. And when we did go places, and Andrew did "retreat", he was not only being watched by other families, but by Aidan. Aidan was also watching at home; he and Andrew are ALWAYS together. That is why I honestly felt that these "quirks" in Aidan were learned. [Another side note: With Andrew, I stopped explaining, because I started accepting Andrew as Andrew, which was VERY empowering for both me and for him.]

I just hope they get it right in Marshfield and that Aidan gets help with his sensory processing, just like he has for his dyslexia.

...TO BE CONTINUED...

All things David Foley

2011-02-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

I was a HUGE fan of the tv show News Radio, plus a HUGE fan of KITH.
I admit I follow the KITH fan page on Facebook, which is where I came upon this podcast/interview of "The Joe Rogan Experience" (who was also on NR) of David Foley.
I was shocked about child support laws in Canada! Poor Dave.
However, divorces aside, Mr. Foley is very talented and I'm positive that he will land on his feet. And this is a fun interview, so watch it.

13th Anniversary (2/21/11)

2011-02-19T19:14:00.003-05:00

My favorite scene from Bridget Jones' Diary. It spoke to me, because Mies is the serious, intellectual guy and I'm the quirky, airhead, but he loves me just the way I am.

Just As You Are
Bridget Jones's Diary at MOVIECLIPS.com

Aidan needs glasses

2011-01-31T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, he does he has Accomadative Esotropia, which means his eyes cross when he tries to focus on anything, like reading, writing, coloring. This is a great relief, believe it or not. He has been struggling with reading and is a grade level behind. We noticed reading problems in first grade, but chalked in up to him being more of a sight reader, like the rest of us in our family. "Hooked on Phonics" does not compute, in the Martin household.
So, why did we take so long to correct the situation, you ask? Well, we did take him to an eye doctor last year, who told us that yes his eye turns in, have him "blink it off". Huh? Well, thanks to our insurance, we were stuck with that diagnoses for a year, cos only one exam/year is covered. Plus, we were still not sure if it wasn't just a sight word thing, or maybe he could have dyslexia, it runs the family. Which reminds of me...

Eddie Izzard Dsylexia--"Stripped"

Not to say that Aidan doesn't have dyslexia in addition to esotropia, he may, who knows. At least we are heading in the right direction.
We have a meeting with his teacher, the principal, the counselor, the Title I teacher and possibly the resource room teacher, tomorrow at 1:30pm. We shall see how that goes. It's mostly a different crew than we had with Andrew, since most of those idiots have retired. Thank you, A-sus, B-sus, C-sus, etc. (Sorry another EI bit)
Eddie Izzard & God--"Stripped"

Holy Cow, I'm exhausted. Time for bed! More later.

No Title

2011-01-22T21:17:00.001-05:00

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Rent

Steel Magnolias

My Girl

Beaches

Melissa Ann Maple, b 11/23/70, d. 1/16/11

2011-01-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

IN MEMORY OF MELISSA ANN MAPLE
Melissa Ann Maple, 40, of Blanchester, Ohio died 7:45 PM, Sunday, January 16, 2011 at Hospice of Dayton after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her husband, David L. Maple, whom she married October 14, 2000, survives. She was born November 23, 1970 in Detroit, Michigan. Mrs. Maple was the Associate Director of Quality Assurance at Alkermes. She received her bachelors of science in biology from the University of Detroit.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Maple is survived by a son, Daelin Layne Maple; her parents, Elizabeth J. and Herman "Buddy" Buddenborg; her half sister, Eva (Curt) Cuthhertson; her father-in-law, David (Susan) Maple; her mother-in-law, Jane (Larry) Roberts; a sister-in-law, Melissa (Marty) Fellure; and her nieces and nephews, Ashley, Amelia, Austin, Aiden, Kennedy, and Noah. She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Bella Greenwald, and her grandfather, Morris Baker.
Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Saturday, January 22, 2011 at the Reynolds-Smith Funeral Home, 327 N. South Street, Wilmington, Ohio with Dan Mayo officiating. Burial will be in Springfield Friends Cemetery. Friends may call from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Friday, January 21, 2011 at the Reynolds-Smith Funeral Home.

Resolution

2011-01-03T10:51:00.004-05:00

Happy 2011! My resolution is to spend more time reading. Why? Well my reason is twofold. First, I'm doing something I think is fun. We inherited a set of the Harvard Classics--Five-foot shelf---and I'm embarking on the 15 minute a day reading list. I started two days ago, and am enjoying the selections so far. I'm not going to blog about this in too much detail, as it has been done before. However, it does get me "warmed up" to do some reading that I've been putting off. Reading various materials related to the profession. And so, when I've completed my 15 minutes of the Harvard Classic o' the day, I then read Charles Osburn's Social Transcript: Uncovering Library Philosophy. I've just begun, and can tell it's going to be a worthwhile read. I do remember being taken aback in library school that there was no central philosophy to librarianship. This book has already sparked some interest for me and will be ILL-ing articles and such on the topic. More blogs to follow. Here is one review that I've found.

REVIEW:
"Retired from active academic work, Osburn introduces a philosophy for the library, using the processes of cultural evolution as a context for understanding why—rather than how—the social institution functions. The concept of the library and the practice within it are confused in the minds both of the public and scholars, he argues, so that misleading conceptions and fundamental misunderstandings about what the library is and why it exists arise easily and often. His topics include strategic considerations, a cultural technology, and stewardship of the social transcript."
–
Reference & Research Book News

Now for reason #2:
My husband will be taking his comprehensive exams toward his PhD starting this April. His 4 questions were approved late last summer and has been working hard with his reading lists. However, he has complained that there are too many distractions around the house and also, that he's feeling like he is not alloted enough time to focus. I can understand, this has been his struggle since the beginning, seven years ago, working full time, raising a family and working toward his PhD. Lately, he's been complaining that I'm watching too much tv! ME? The 2 shows I watch irregularly. That is a distraction?!? Ok, enough scoffing. If that is his area of concern, and I'm not a vidiot and do enjoy reading, I've decided that spending more time reading (and possibly blogging) would be less of a distraction and possibly an encouragement for my husband to complete his studies.

Not too shabby of a resolution and I may learn something along the way. If I do, I'll keep you posted.

Happy New Year!

Our Jib Jab X-Mas movie.

2010-12-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

So You Want To Be An [Academic] Librarian

2010-12-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T BECOME AN ARCHIVIST

2010-11-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

No Explanation Needed.

Ode to Anonymous (DiFranco) Cat

2010-10-28T18:51:00.005-04:00

14 years ago, a friend of ours found a cat (not sure how old) at the local animal shelter and she was immediately smitten. She loved her color, her spunk, her eyes, her size (she was small) AND her name. When our friend went to the animal shelter to adopt a new cat, she saw this charcoal grey w/ white cat with piercing green eyes and read the name, Anonymous Cat. Although someone wrote in magic marker (in parenthesis) after the word anonymous. The word they wrote was (DiFranco). So, not only was our friend smitten by this beautiful, spunky, fun cat, but she was a huge fan of Ani DiFranco. Ani's song Shameless was a big hit at that time, too.

So, our friend adopted Anonymous (DiFranco) Cat and renamed her Ani-Cat. I could see what my friend saw in her, she was fiesty. She was a birder, and could jump amazing heights. She was also very tough for a smaller cat, our friend's roommate had other cats--male cats--and Ani-Cat became the Queen of the Roost in no time. On the other hand, Ani-Cat was very affectionate; she loved to have her neck scratched and would sometimes push her head under your chin mid-scratch. She had a loud purr, which matched her personality.
A few months later, our friend was accepted to go for grad. school in the UK and thought it best not to take Ani-Cat with her. So, our friend asked my, then boyfriend, now husband, if he would like to have her. We were kind of living together and so, he asked my opinion, and of course I agreed. She was a lovely cat, after all. That was 13 years ago, last August.
She was a great pet, and great comforter, a great companion and did I mention she was tough? She was mostly an indoor cat, but she had never been de-clawed. Since we weren't sure how old she was, we didn't want to risk an unnecessary surgery, so we let her keep her claws. Not too much after we bought our first home in a suburb of Detroit, she got loose. We had a crazy cat-lady on our street and she immediately went over there, although I didn't know that at the time and was searching the neighborhood. Fortunately, my Mom was visiting and we both found her in an old, beaten up car, which was in the cat-lady's driveway. Ani-Cat was hurt, but not too badly, she seemed more agitated with the other cats in that car. Her hair was up and she was growling. I called the vet and took her in. He did notice some bite wounds on her hip, but said to me (and yes, I've never forgotten), "Man, her nails are shredded! She put up one heck of a fight. I'd hate to see what the other cat(s) look like." And I thought to myself--with a sense of motherly pride, "Damn right! She's one tough bitch; you don't mess with her!"
Soon we were off the the UP and several months of life in Married Housing *shudder* where no pets were allowed. We had to fudge that rule, because there was no way we were placing Ani-Cat in a "kennel"; plus, we knew it was temporary until we found a house. Ani, which is what we shorted her name to, was not too happy being cooped up and while we were at work, during the day, a neighbor told me that he could hear her meowing. Needless to say, she wasn't happy in that apartment and neither were we. About 4 months later, we bought a house. It is located next to a heavily wooded area, a "suburb" of Houghton, if you will. Ani was very happy. She did get out on occasion, but stayed in doors mainly. Since we lived in a wooded area, we would, from time to time, get a mouse in our house. Thankfully, Ani was a skilled mouser, and a skilled chipmunker, and a skilled bat-ter, too. (Plus, a few birds went missing from the bird feeder area). She was VERY patient with the kids, as they grew, but not so patient when we adopted Sasha, the husky-mix. Now, husky's have a bad reputation when it comes to smaller animals...some eat smaller animals. Ani wasn't having it and from day one put that dog in her place. And over the years, whenever Ani was pissed off about something, anything (a baby pulling her tail, getting her nails trimmed, etc) she took it out on the dog. She would sneak up on the dog and come out swingin' and hissin', poor dog didn't stand a chance.
Well, Anonymous (DiFranco) Cat, we tried to give you a good home and good life, and I think we succeeded. You will be missed! RIP, girl!

Life is too short

2010-10-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

I received sad news the other day regarding one of my childhood friends. She has been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer and the doctors say she has "until the Holidays". She is married, with a young son (7 yr. old) and living in Ohio. Her Mom and Step-Dad moved from the Detroit area to be closer to her and grandchild about 2+ years ago.
I have to admit, that we grew apart over the years, but, honestly, I think about her often. I did send a letter and am hoping she would like to see me, and my Mom, sometime next month.
I have a million regrets of not doing a better job keeping in touch and am full of guilt. Guilt of not being a good friend, etc. I'm trying to move beyond the guilt and treasure the memories of her, and the blessings of having her apart of my young life. Also, am trying to look at my own life differently, and learn to take time out of my busy day to appreciate all around me.

Please pray for her and her family! Thanks!

God hold Everest, God Heal Everest, God give him peace.

2010-09-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

For almost a year my friend's son has been battling a rare form of cancer, Neuroblastoma. He has been through chemo, radiation, surgeries and stem-cell transplantation. Although he has been successful in beating this rare yet deadly cancer, he still has a long way to go.
Now, he has to endure 5 rounds of immunotherapy, which has been very successful in cases of Neuroblastoma. He's had 2 rounds already, and it has not been easy for him.
Here is an article about the disease and it's treatments (and the little boy in the picture is Everest, our friend).
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20100930_Children_s_Hospital_helps_develop_technique_to_improve_survival_from_neuroblastoma.html

I'm not sure if anyone even looks at my blog, but please, say a prayer for this little boy, he's been through too much already. And say a prayer for his family too.

So far so good

2010-09-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

I believe I've mentioned in a prior post about my apprehensions with our eldest son starting middle school. In the past he has had troubles transitioning into a new school year, trouble with time management, trouble with turning in homework on time, etc. After attending Camp MS in mid-August, he felt confident that he was going to do well and that has transferred over into the new school year. He still struggles with time management, but he's getting a better handle on it. As for homework, the middle school has some strict policies about late assignments, and he is VERY aware of those requirements, and has worked extremely hard (although he hasn't had too many timely assignments,yet)to get them in on time. He likes to flow of his schedule, he enjoys transitioning from one class room to another instead of being in one classroom all day. He is enjoying all of his classes and teachers, especially Math and Band--funny how those two go together.
All-in-all, I think he's coming into his own, and that has put my mind, heart and soul at ease.

Missing...has anyone seen my library mojo?

2010-07-30T15:43:00.000-04:00

I've been working in this field for over 12 years now and am discovering that I've completely lost focus. I could whine on about lack of funding for professional development, which impacts my ability to network, or how isolated I feel in my current work environment (and my previous job, too), BUT I cannot place blame there or anywhere, for that matter. The blame is mine. I've spent too many years just surviving life that I haven't pushed myself to actually do something about my being lost. I've focused on my spouse/children needs and have overlooked my own. This too is my fault. My husband, also a professional librarian, has tried to encourage me to go/do/join, etc, but I've been too afraid to try. To try means that I might fail, and we cannot have that, says that little voice in my head. Of course, we can, how else do we learn, but I'm so afraid of failure that I just don't do...anything. I know, it's pathetic. BUT
I'm taking the reins again. I've been accepted the Michigan Library Association's Leadership Academy. I have many thoughts about the future of libraries and our leadership. (Okay, that's one thing) I am attending the Michigan Library Assoc. Annual Meeting (kinda have to w/ academy). Plus, am thinking about going to ACRL & ALA next year, but going depends on many things. First of all, I have no funding for professional development, which is an obstacle. Not sure I could afford to pay out of my own pocket, but not saying, no.
I've been reading professional journals and publications trying to keep abreast. The difficult part of this is that I work/live in a remote area and don't have many opportunities to talk or meet with others. The few other librarians in the area have a different skill set than I do, working in more specialized areas of academic librarianship.
In addition, to feeling lost, my last 2 jobs have been in places where there is a small (or not at all) staff and the need for doing many different aspects of librarianship at the same time. Thus, making it hard for me to have a specialty in any one area. I am aware of trends in all areas, but not allowed to time to efficiently explore trends in more detail. I experience a vagueness in all areas of librarianship. A jill-of-all-trades is not necessarily the best thing, in my opinion. If I had to pinpoint my specialties, it would have to be in the areas of information literacy/instruction, collection development, access services and cataloging. But, then again, not to a point where I could walk into a managing role in a bigger institution and feel confident. Not to say that I wouldn't know how to do the job, I could, I do, but, again, in my opinion, I wouldn't be a specialist. And hoenstly, is specializing in one aspect that much of an advantage?
Maybe I need to rethink of this.
Wow, this just popped into my head. And that is where I'll end my blog for today.

Week-in-the-life-of-a-librarian

2010-07-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

This week has been a busy one. Since I work in a small academic library, with only 1.5 FTE staff under me, I wear many hats (tech. services, access services, reference/instruction, web librarian, collection development...oh, and let's not forget all the administrative tasks)!
Currently, the part-time librarian in off, her contract is for 38 weeks per academic year. My one FTE is the library tech, and she ROCKS!
[This week in a nutshell] I've been trying to complete the library's year end report, looking at spreadsheets, and other data to see how we did this FY. So far, so good. Also, we've received several large, good condition (some new) donations that need to be cataloged and processed before the start of the fall semester. I met with the Dean of Students to schedule library tours during orientation, and will be meeting with the FYE team, English, Health Sciences, and Business School faculty to set up fall semester library instruction sessions, and (for FYE team and instructors who teach the various capstone courses) scheduling the Information Literacy Assessment survey that they need to distribute to their students. In addition to that, I need to prep for a presentation during the new faculty orientation, which is soon. Oh, I almost forgot, during "breaks", I've been prepping and finishing up syllabus for my own section of a FYE course. Lastly, working with IT, to replace older computers with newer ones, which should start happening any minute now...

All is quiet...

2010-07-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

A bit too quiet in the library this summer. Are there summer classes in session? I guess no one needs to study or do research in the summer months.
No, I am left with some local flavor that frequent our doors. Why, do you ask, do they come here? Well, we don't have a solely public library this side of the Portage Lift Bridge that divides Houghton from Hancock and the rest of the Keweenaw. Yes, we do have a few school/public places, but their hours suck, put plainly, and most people don't feel comfortable going into a school to use a public library. I know this, I worked in one, but don't get me started on THAT nightmare! That will be another blog.
Our locals are an interesting group, they come in day-after-day, all summer (sometimes year) long and sit at the computers. There are one or two "porn-surfers" in the mix, who use the computers in the back of the library, AND sit there ALL DAY LONG!! I mean, who can look at that stuff for 8 hours straight? But god love 'em, cos apparently no one else does, or else they wouldn't be surfing for satisfaction in a private, Christian university's library, now would they.
Why they sit in here at all is beyond my level of comprehension. I mean, yes, I have to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours, but I'm working. If I had the leisure time they have, I wouldn't be inside looking at (whatever) for a full day; I'd be out enjoying life. Seriously, there is more to life than porn or social networking, or is there??

Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter

2010-06-28T14:22:00.000-04:00

Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter

Saturday night's sunset over Lake Superior.

Survived the Rain and Mist

2010-06-28T14:13:00.002-04:00

We had a great time camping this weekend. There were a few hiccups, like the weather, but all-in-all not bad. We're planning our next trip this evening. :)

Friday, was wet, and Mies and Andrew had set up camp in a downpour, and--of course--once everything was set up the rain stopped. I mopped everything up (the inside of the tent was wet, but not too bad) and then made dinner. I was able to get the campfire going even w/ damp wood! All those years of Girls Scouts paid off. :p
The other tricky part of Friday were the dogs. With Mollie being so young, and never camped before, we were not sure how that would play out. BUT she was good, for the most part, some whining that got a bit annoying after awhile, but with the aid of chewy toys and the boys playing with her, she calmed down.
Saturday, started off sunny-ish, then this mist came in off Lake Superior, it was cool to watch. The mist covered the whole area in a short period of time and lasted about 3 hours. Later that afternoon, on the other side of the park, was a gathering of some people from the Van Pelt library at MTU. We had brats, beans, veggie kabobs, etc and fun topics of conversation.
Lastly, on Sunday, more rain in the morning as we were breaking camp, but nowhere near as bad as Friday night, rain-wise.

Like I said, we had a great time and are planning our next venture this evening.

June IS busting out all over....

2010-06-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

Wow, summer has just started, but seems to be going fast. The boys and I traveled downstate to visit my parents immediately after they finished school. They had a 1/2 day on the 10th and then we "hit the road" for 10 hours of driving time. Andrew and Aidan are good travelling companions. They did not have any electronics on this trip, so just books, themselves and lots of imagination. We arrived in SCS around 10:30(ish) in the pm. The next day, well evening, my 'rents had a "graduation" party for Andrew, since he "graduated" from Elementary School and is off to Middle School next year. Saturday, I had lunch with some friends for high school, which was great! Then that evening we spent with my cousin Scott Dawson and his boys for his youngest son's birthday. We played laser tag and video games and all kinds of craziness. The boys and I had a fun time. Then on Sunday, my 'Rents, my niece Miranda, the boys and I went to the Toledo Zoo. Sorry to say this, but enjoyed it more than the Detroit Zoo (and I like the Detroit Zoo). After all of that, Monday we got together with a friend of mine from college and her kids at Metro Beach Park. It was a bit rainy, but enjoyable. Finally, came back home on Tuesday, again the boys did wonderful.
So, all-in-all, the long weekend trip was successful; we were needing to get-away and that was just enough.
Last weekend was Bridgefest, 2010. Mies' Mom and Step-Dad came into town for that and stayed with us. We all had a great time. Too "great" for me on Friday night...the wine went down a wee bit too easily that night. But by late Saturday morning I was good to go!! We enjoyed the car show, the water skiers, and other vendors. Sunday we watched the Cardboard Boat Regatta. I cannot explain that, you would have to experience it on your own. :)
Now, this weekend is camping! Cannot wait, almost packed! A little bummed it may rain, but such is life. We will have fun regardless. :-) AND next Wednesday, is Andrew's 12th Birthday, he's been counting down the days...

More summer events to come...

Disturbing

2010-06-04T09:17:00.000-04:00

I cannot stomach the thought of this "autism drug" development. Why do we need a drug for a pervasive disorder? Autism is not a disease like cancer, which is the other types of drugs this company develop. I don't really even classify autism as a disorder, more of a condition, Autism Spectrum Condition.
What I find most disturbing is that this drug isn't anywhere near a trial phase and parents are "excited" about it?!? They want to subject their children to drug trials, use them as guinea pigs? That is just crazy, no? To those parents, I say, gee, I'm really sorry your kid isn't 'normal', but who is normal and what kind of normalcy are you wanting your child to be? Love your child [period].
We have many challenges with Andrew, but we love him and support him and give him every opportunity to thrive and succeed. Yes, he sees the world differently, but is that a BAD thing? I embrace his uniqueness and through him I've even changed how I see the world. He is an inspiration, a gentle soul, a loving child, and he's perfect the way that he is; he doesn't need to fit into some mold of mythological uniformity!
People, please, love your child [period]. Help them to reach their potential on their terms. Feed their interests, seek out therapies, help them make sense of the world, their world. Don't try to shove a pill down their throats in order to become something they are not meant to be, something "normal". Let go of normal, throw it away, accept being different...it's a good thing!

Memorial Weekend

2010-05-30T09:57:00.000-04:00

We've been pretty productive this weekend, I've almost gotten every thing planted in our garden. We're planting cucumbers, chard, lettuce, carrots and tomatoes. Our garden space is small, but hopefully this fall, Mies and I can extend it for next growing season.
The boys are counting down the days until school is out. Andrew kinda slacked off the last few weeks, so we had to remind him he isn't done with school just yet. This is his last year at the Elementary school, he's off to middle school next year. He has already gone on a tour and spent a 1/2 day there. He LOVED it. Which puts my mind at ease. I know it will be a new experience for him and many changes and transitions, but am hoping that some of the coping skills he has learned will get him through. But alas, we have some time for that, and even though it is a topic of conversation, I want him to enjoy his summer break, too, without worrying about middle school changes.
Aidan is still struggling with reading, and he reverses letters often, but he loves to try to read and loves hearing stories and creating his own, using drawings. Plus, I'm discovering he has a photographic memory. So, in order to not discourage him, Mies and I are fanning those flames and will continue to keep an eye on his reading progress, without making it a chore.
Well, will post more later, am off to enjoy the beautiful weather! :)

Under the Weather

2010-05-07T10:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry the blog has been on hold. It seems our family has been under the weather too much this spring and am trying on getting all of us back on our feet. Will blog more soon.

NLW 2010

2010-04-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

It is National Library Week! This year's theme Communities thrive @ your library!
The Maki Library is looking for feedback from our patrons, come in and give us your comments of how we can improve or what we are doing right.

:)

April is...Autism Awareness Month (and Library Week is in April, too)

2010-03-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to celebrate, this April, two things I hold dear.

It is National Autism Awareness Month, as well as April 2nd being, World Autism Day.

Plus, April 11-17 is National Library Week!! My library is planning some fun events to support NLW!

So many things to look forward too in April.

I'm Here -- A Love Story

2010-03-23T14:01:00.000-04:00

Great short film by Spike Jonze!

Bracket Busted

2010-03-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

With Kansas out of the Men's NCAA tourny, my bracket is busted. I guess that why it is called March Madness! I am glad to see MSU still hanging on (by a thread).

My kids have 5 more school days, including today, before their spring break. They will be hanging out with my parents for the week. I'll be meeting my parents in Mackinaw City for "the drop" this Sunday. Why Mackinaw City? Well, it's about 1/2 way for each of us. We live 10 hours from my parents. So, the week the boys get to spend with my folks is HUGE! Especially, since there are no parents in the equation (well not until sometime on April 2--when Mies and I go all the way down to visit my folks for Easter weekend). I heard of a possible trip to the Toledo Zoo is in store for the boys, plus countless hours of gaming (with no parent interruption) and a couple of movies. Who could ask for anything more???
The question is what will Mies and I do with our time "alone". I'm not sure we could have a conversation that doesn't revolve around the boys or at least touch on that subject. We do plan on going to the North Shore Grill for a grown up restaurant experience, with out the nagging feeling of running home and paying off the babysitter. Hey, maybe we'll even take in a movie ourselves! I know that sounds a bit crazy to me, too. ;) We surely live on the edge, Mies and I! Jealous??? I didn't think so.

I'm watching the freak show...front row!

2010-03-16T11:44:00.002-04:00

Temple Grandin's TED talk

2010-03-01T15:29:00.000-05:00

On The Media

2010-02-24T18:25:00.000-05:00

Anniversary

2010-02-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our 12th anniversary! We spent it with the boys, because yesterday was the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. Andrew became a Boy Scout. It was an enjoyable evening. :)

World Fair Use Day

2010-02-19T15:04:00.002-05:00

I heard this last weekend about fair use.

Sledding

2010-02-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

This was from last month, when the boys stayed with Grandma and Pappa, while we were in Chicago. The day we returned they wanted us to watch them sled down the driveway. What Aidan didn't anticipate was sliding all the way to the garage. At the end, Aidan yells, "Oh, my hat!" (grabs hat), "This is Aw...(big breath)...AWESOME!!!"
It was fun to watch.

Ode To Joy

2010-02-17T09:24:00.005-05:00

Andrew was talking about this non-stop until I sat down and watched it with him. Glad I did, I loved the Muppets as a kid.

Solo

2010-01-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

I'm a "single" Mom this week. Mies is visiting his Dad and Joan in Las Cruces, NM, prior to attending the Electronic Resources & Libraries conference in Austin, TX. Although, it has added extra to my plate, I'm a very excited that he is attending this year and am hopeful that he will walk away with some useful information and some new contacts. Plus, I'm happy that he is spending time with his Dad and Joan. Also, while he's there, he can catch up on his reading/writing for his comprehensive exams.
I cannot say enough how proud I am of Mies. He has been working hard at home, work, school these past several years. I know it hasn't been easy for him to work full-time, help raise a family and work toward his PhD, but he is doing it! There are many times that he wants to throw it all in, but he doesn't. I know he struggles with the balancing act between the three and I try my best to cover the home detail for him, but I know I could do better.
That is another reason, I'm happy Mies attended this conference, it gives me time to get back into the home aspect. What I mean is, since I've taken the full-time Head Librarian gig at Finlandia, I've been focused on learning the job, doing my daily librarian and administrative duties (which are many), as well as meeting the goals of the strategic plan and devising a new plan for the future. This is not to say that I've haven't been helping at home or with the boys, but that with the new gig, comes new responsibilities. Working longer hours, coming home exhausted, but still being there to help with dinner, homework, baths, etc. for the boys. And cleaning the house, which I must admit is where I'm slipping, a bit. So, this week is allowing me to reevaluate the domestic side of my life. I guess, I can balance more than I thought I could. Multitasking isn't one of my strong suits, because I tend to lose focus easily and end up with many tasks that I never quite see to the end. Ok, I'm rambling...sorry.
Long story short, this week will be good for both Mies and I. But I still miss him.

Call came in..

2010-01-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

Last Friday afternoon, I got an interoffice call telling me that the library website's databases page had been "cleaned up" and I should see how it looks. So, I went to the site, and much to the amusement of my already blooming stress headache, I noticed that the entire site, with the alphabetically listing of our databases, was GONE!!! All the links, everything.
So, I asked, politely, what happened to page and the response was, "oh, was it supposed to have more information on it?"
I politely said, "yes, but don't worry, I'll fix it."Although, internally, the conversation went a little differently.
So, alas, I started to re-create our database page, bit-by-bit. And while this was happening, the entire network crashed. No one had access to the school's website. HA! I took a deep breath and told self to relax. Nothing else for me to do. (Actually, I was stress eating at this point...not pretty). So, by the time the site was back up, it was late Saturday. I fixed what I could from home and just told myself to wait until Monday. And I did. And I can happily say, the database information is intact, just in time for me to teach a session on business research.
Never a dull day. :)

So little time...

2010-01-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

I was under some illusion that life would get easier as my kids got older, well...haven't seen that yet. Although, our stessors have changed, they definitely haven't gotten easier. School-work loads are getting more intense, outside activities (the few they participate in) take away from homework time. Even my first grader will be starting weekly spelling tests soon. That is more work, not just for him, but Mies and I too. We need to instill good study habits for our boys...how do we do that with so little time?
It seems we get home from work, the boys work on homework, we work on dinner (even if it's a crockpot meal...still some effort has to go into this), dinner is over, a few more whiles for homework, then bed. Day in, day out. I feel like I'm on complete survival mode and not living...image what the kids' feel like...

Weekend in Chicago!

2010-01-06T09:15:00.003-05:00

I'm completely stoked! Mies and I have a weekend to ourselves in Chicago! It's a Christmas/Anniversary gift all rolled into one!

Before we go to see Eddie Izzard at the United Center Friday Night, we must make a side trip, on Thursday, to the In-Laws to drop off the boys and the doggies. Then very early Friday morning, we head out...should take about 7.5 hours from Garden, MI to Chicago. YAY!! (cheap accommodations...we're on a budget!)

Saturday we're going to some museums and having lunch with a fellow graduate school alumni, William Forgette. Then, another great thing, we're having dinner with Rebecca (Duff) Campbell, her hubs and Ms. June! YAY (again)!!

Did I say I was stoked??? Ok, yes, I don't get out of the UP much, it's true! Hell, going to Detroit is an exciting trip for me. Who am I kidding, going to Marquette is an thrill of a life time. So, CHICAGO, is like heaven on earth!

Speaking of Marquette, after we get back from our weekend escape, I have to turn around and head to Northern Michigan University for two days of library related training sessions. I get to meet other academic librarians, besides the staff at Michigan Tech, and introduce myself as the "new Head Librarian for Finlandia University." (or as Mies says, The University's Librarian--not to say I'm the only librarian here, but I'm the University Librarian...eck...not really used to this whole concept, yet. I hate drawing attention to myself and downplay the significance of me being in this position, but I have great plans for this library! Just don't tell anyone, okay?!?)

Survived

2009-10-26T18:14:00.005-04:00

So, I'm back from my weekend trip.

On Friday I had a great afternoon with my Dad! We just talked for hours. Then Mom and I went shopping, that was fun too. Lastly, ended the day with Paul, Celeste, Luisa, Jake & Miranda (plus Bomparents) at El Charro's. Yummy! Oh yes, and watched movie with Bomps, Paul and Jake.
Saturday, awoke to hear from Mies that Aidan had a fever and was instructed not to worry; like that's gonna happen. (Called several times) Got my nails done, hair trimmed, spent time w/ my Aunt Kathy, then more shopping with Momsy, and got ready to G-O, go. Was picked up by the Decker's, headed to the Tin Fish, then to Partridge Creek Hall for an interesting experience; interesting because many people were fascinated with my being a librarian. I was flattered, but...okay, they're right, it IS the coolest job EVER!! Plus, many of the gents were impressed with us residing the Upper Peninsula. It's not that exciting, fellas, trust me. Then the "after" party at the Red Ox. By that time my feet were KILLING ME! Why did I buy heals that high??? Oh and everyone loved my Mom's coat, I got many hugs wearing it. ;) And was truly grateful for Mr. Jerry Decker and his being our "DD" for the evening. Deanna married a gem and a gent, in one person.
Sunday, awoke early w/ lovely headache, called to check-in on Aidan, talked to parents about the night. S-L-O-W-L-Y got myself packed and moving. Had a great lunch with Barry/Scavo crew (bummed not to see Cristina, but hey, she's a popular teenager). Sat in the sunshine for 15 minutes or so. Then hopped in the "Bomps" mobile (a.k.a. Clifford the big-red-van) and headed to the airport. To find out that my flight was delayed, then after finally boarding, waiting for 20 minutes before take off, then circled Eu Claire, WI for 20 minutes only to taxi in MIN/SP for another 20 minutes. Fortunately, I had some time before the flight to Hancock, so I was good. Talked to Mies on the phone for 'while only to find out that Andrew had a fever, too. Then got on the puddle jumper (?? thought they were discontinuing that service and going with DC9's??) and headed home.
Had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. Still dehydrated. But got to work, drank tons 'o water.

Now back to reality and to start getting ready for Halloween gathering. :)

20 years....

2009-10-22T13:39:00.004-04:00

Early tomorrow morning I'll be heading out, by myself, on a plane to DTW, for the weekend. (boy that sentence had too many prepositional phrases, didn't it?)
Why, you ask? Well, it is class reunion time, which seems odd to me to have a reunion this time of year since most reunions happen in the summer, but our class was always a little off.
I am excited to go, honestly. NO, I wasn't a cheerleader or even that popular (yawn), but I was one of those people who got along well with everyone and would like to know how people are doing. I'm not interested in what they do for a living or comparing who has the "better" job/car/house. I'm a librarian, for crying out loud, I have a crap job/car/house. Ok, my job isn't crap, I love my job. My point is, I've never been one to care about frivolous things, I just want to have good conversations. I want to catch up with people I knew at weird time in my cognitive development, it that strange? Maybe.
More to come...

Snow in the forecast...

2009-10-08T09:01:00.004-04:00

It is only October 8th and yes all the weather people are predicting snow this weekend. Granted it is not going to stick and stay, but still....snow?

Um, Mother Nature, may I have a word? I mean we had an awful winter that ended just 6 months ago, and not to mention that you gave us a cold(ish) summer. Alright, okay, I'll give you September, cos it was beautiful, but that was 1 month out of 12. However, Mother Nature, fall is the best season up here, so don't rush it with early snow, please. I need the fall smells, colors, coolness to get me through winter!
What's that you say?....I should take vitamin D...well I have added that to my regiment of vitamins, and don't change the subject, honestly, Mother Nature...vitamin D! NO, you listen here, bring some fall-like sunshine for the rest of the month, OR ELSE!
Okay...yes...you're right...I'm sorry...I'll ask...."nicely"...could you PLEASE bring back some fall-like sunshine for the rest of the month?

And...they're off.

2009-09-10T14:33:00.008-04:00

Well, the boys started school on Tuesday the 8th and Andrew made it without any "new routine anxiety", as I call it. Mies did take the boys to school the week before classes started and showed them they're rooms, etc, which helped! Plus, Andrew is a big-time 5th grader now and knows the environment backwards and forwards; that too cuts down on the anxiety. Aidan told me that 1st grade, "has a LOT of rules, Mom"! On his first day the class went on an "Arthur" hunt (Arthur the main character of the Marc Brown books) and had to go to the Gym to find a clue which led them to the Art room and the next clue to another room, and on and on until they found Arthur (stuffed animal form) in the office. I thought that was a clever way to introduce the 1st graders to the school.

I am, once again, teaching a section of the "Finlandia Success" course this semester. It is a 1 credit course that assists incoming freshman in transitioning into college life. It is a fun class to teach and I learn many things from the students...I hope they learn something from me in the end.

The new librarian started on Tuesday and so far so good. Excluding the fact that she couldn't log into the computer network and when she finally got access. her CPU....CRASHED! UGH!!! [Breath, Beth, Breath]. I keep reminding myself that work life in academia is slow and that this will all work out! It's my new Mantra. ;)

Lastly, we had a great, albeit short, visit from my Parents. I really appreciate when they come, or any family for that matter. We don't get many visitors up here. My Dad was able to get a new Keweenaw Brewing Company T-shirt and some beer to bring home. My Mom helped with the living room flooring and gave me a new hair-do. Thanks, Mom! They got to meet Molly, our new puppy, but not sure their dogs liked Molly too much. And spent time with the boys. Not to mention that I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Sadly, I think we are the new "Lucy and Ethel" of the family.

Guilty pleasure, job, school, end of summer....

2009-08-14T10:36:00.005-04:00

I have a guilty pleasure of reading the tweets of Eddie Izzard, as he jogs his way through the UK (hey that rhymed) to raise money for Sport Relief (part of Comic Relief). I did donate a small amount for the cause. :)

Anyway, that is my "distraction" while into my second week as Head Librarian. I've been asked time and again, "do I like my new job?" The answer is obviously, yes, I wouldn't be a librarian if I didn't want to work in libraries. The responsibility as Head is something that I CAN handle (Yes, I Can); although, it is the adjustment period that is stressing me, at this time. I keep forgetting that I'm now the one who makes the decisions around here. :)

Next week I'll start with the interviews for my old part-time position. I have two local librarians with some cataloging experience which is good news, since the part-time position is mostly a cataloging position, with other duties spread out here and there.

We have just found out who are boy's teachers are, Andrew has Mrs. Aldrich for 5th grade and Aidan has Mrs. Julio for 1st grade. Good teachers!! They don't start school until Sept. 8th, since Michigan law states that school is to begin after Labor Day. The boys have one more week of BHK's Summer Great Exploration Program, and Mies and I are scrambling to find someone to watch them for two weeks. FYI--BHK (Baraga-Houghton-Keweenaw) is an organization that dominates all things children up here. They offer Head Start, Even Start, Childcare, partner with Americorps, they do EVERYTHING. It's hard for many other early education places to compete with them. I have to admit, that their Head Start pre-school program, which is FREE for all local 4 year olds, since we live is a remote and (outside of Houghton/Hancock) rural area, is very good. Both our boys went to a BHK pre-school and loved it. I volunteered many, many, many times and they did an incredible job!

We had a very cool summer this year, that is until August. The local forecasters in the area have all predicated a HOT August. I know that the lower peninsula had a wet Spring and Summer, but up here we are close to drought situations. Lake Superior is down 12" this summer, I guess the other Great Lakes are up, and so it Lake St. Clair. Because it has been very cool and dry, my garden isn't doing so well. We'll maybe get one or two cucumbers and looks like no tomatoes. :( One the positive I planted some lettuce and that is growing, I put it in a large pot, on our second story deck, so the rabbits or deer won't eat it.

Well, break time is over, back to work!

Aug. 3rd, round the corner

2009-07-24T10:28:00.002-04:00

For those who do not know, my supervisor is leaving Finlandia U and has taken a position back in her home country of Puerto Rico, and I'm been promoted to Head Librarian. I wish Yesianne all the luck and am very excited for her! She has been a great person to know and work with and have learned many things from her, like how to stay graceful under fire. She will be missed.

I've been shadowing her for the last few days and she has already been training me to "take over" for her, since she knew that being at FU was only temporary, while her husband was getting a Master's at MTU. So, I have a feel of how things go, so far anyway. Well, I'll know as of August 3rd.

I have to admit that I am a little nervous about the transistion, but having been an adminstrator before for a rural school/public one-woman-show library, I do have some experience with directing, and the politics, etc. I have experience in proving worth, as many librarians do, since our services are first to be cut from any struggling budget. I know how to play the game of pushing, but not too much, etc. All that goes on when in an adminstrative compacity. I've already experience the ugliness of that and as always will remember that "nothing is personal", as was said to me numerous times by previous administrator. When really, for him, it was. That is his standard line to several people in THAT organization. But I'm not working for that organization anymore and feel that if I edured hell on earth for six years, then this should be a "walk in the park", so to speak.

Of course, I know there will be challenges and choices and other difficult situations; I'm not niave, am just expressing that I've learned from my past experiences and can apply those lessons in this capacity. So, wish me luck! I'll need it.

Support Group Release!

2009-07-16T15:54:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to a support group for parents of children with "needs", so to speak. They have been meeting for a few years, but I was never able to attend in the past due to schedule conflicts. The session was on the topic Behavior=Communication.
Even bad behaviors (i.e. tantrums, hitting, self injury) is communication and that in order to handle these situations adults need to adjust their way of thinking too. So, instead of punishing for these behaviors one should try to decipher what is triggering these actions and try to to alleviate the stress. It was NOT rocket science, but it was insightful. It reinforced a newer concept for me, that when kids who have some type of sensory issue(s) have these "bad behaviors" they are most likely overstimulated in some form and should not be punished, but allowed to decompress.
I sort of lost it when we started discussing how to approach this type of reinforcement in the schools. I was recalling our past school year and all of Andrew's expressions of frustration through hitting himself, pulling his hair, or banging his head on his desk and how we were not being listened to by the teacher. She did give him down time, but never tried to figure out what was the trigger of the problem. I am not sure where these emotions came from last night, but it did feel better to share it with people who understand what it is like to be a parent to a child with "needs" and not being heard or understood by others. It was great to finally be apart of a group who got it, who say to themselves (as I do), "I wish they could see my child the way I do!". I let go of many years of frustration in one two-hour meeting. Plus, I was able to give some insight to some parents who kids are younger, and starting Kindergarten or Preschool in the fall. It was an overdue experience for me and am glad I finally got to go. I will definitely go next month and as many more as I can attend.

Summer?

2009-07-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

The weather has been cool this summer, with a few hot days here and there. Today is a warmer day, so the boys and I are most likely going to go to Hancock Beach. We all like it there, the water isn't too deep, there's plenty of playground equipment and the area is small enough that the kids can roam around freely. Plus, many of their classmates are at the beach, which means lots of Mom's to chat with. :)

Birthday Party

2009-06-27T09:30:00.002-04:00

Andrew will be turning 11 in 3 days. Time goes too fast. We are having his Birthday party today and invited some boys over. We were going to do outside games; like water balloon toss, three legged race, etc, but it is going to rain this afternoon. So, due to mother nature, we need to come up with a plan B. Normally, I'd have a plan B already in the works, but the indexing has pulled me away from all of that, including our daily routine.
I've had to let the boys do their own thing this week in order to complete to 2,000 images. It has been a little chaotic and Mom has not been very patient. We did go to the public library on Thursday to a special childrens program about the moose on Isle Royale. The Ranger even read a few story books, it was a treat. And yesterday we took a walk to Andrew's speech therapy and back (40 minutes of walking total).
On Sunday, Andrew will be spending the week with Missy and Gordon. He is looking forward to it; a little reprieve from his stressed out Mom and clingly little brother. Plus, he'll be going to a day art camp, which he will enjoy. I'll miss him; well, we will all miss him, but know that he will have a good time. And since he will be gone during his Birthday, I just want to say....

Happy 11th Birthday, Andrew!

Clip Art Crazy

2009-06-21T14:02:00.002-04:00

A former employer contacted Mies the other day to help out with an indexing project. She sent us 1000 images to index on an excel spreadsheet. We must index each image under an established Category and Subcategory then come up with a "Friendly Name" aka a title, then 4-15 keywords for each image. Sounds easy, but trust me, it is NOT. Especially when the images are abstract or the same stock image shot from different angles. Plus, we had a bunch of religious icons, statues, books, etc. It is interesting that is for sure.

Summer Vacay...

2009-06-15T21:42:00.003-04:00

I have to admit that I wasn't looking forward to being home with the boys this summer; I was afraid I couldn't keep them busy, so to speak, and give them some structure to keep up on their studies. Mostly I was nervous, because they are almost 5 years apart and have different interest, but here we are, and it is not as bad I had anticipated. So far, we are having fun. I try to organize one main daily event; a walk, playing soccer in the backyard, lunch-time picnics with Dad, going to the library, etc. I am only one week in, but so far so good(ish). There have been meltdowns and moodiness abound, but with some gently guidance, they push through it. I'm trying to instill in them a sense of perseverance. They seem to give up too easily and that saddens me (and Mies). We are working on it.
For the most part, despite their age difference, the boys get along. There are times when Andrew gets overwhelmed or over stimulated and he needs some down time from everything which is hard for Aidan to fully understand. Aidan feels rejected. I try to explain that sometimes people need some quiet place to retreat to, but Aidan may not be old enough to fully comprehend this. He is learning and I've been helping Aidan by taking Andrew's times for quiet as time that Aidan and I can have together. Time when we can work on writing letters and numbers, reading story books and laughing. Aidan has a belly laugh that is indeed infectious. Please don't misunderstand, I do have time alone with Andrew, too. We share many funny stories, too. And don't get me started on his laughter... :)
So, I have to say, that for all my trepidation, things are going well. And I'm looking forward to see what tomorrow brings.

Hike

2009-05-31T16:16:00.003-04:00

We took a long hike in the trails behind our house. We started at Mill Road then took the orange trails to just before Upper Trails where the trail veers down to our street, which is not on the map. However, our street is on the map. :)
The only thing is that our dog, Sasha, wanted to know why we silly bipeds walk curvy paths and not just cut threw the woods in a straight line.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-22T18:41:00.008-04:00

Well, we are heading off to my in-law's (well, technically, my Mother-in-law & Stepfather-in-law) for the weekend. They live in Garden, Michigan. It is a quaint little village; they actually live outside of town close to Fayette State Park. Fayette is a neat place to visit in the Upper Peninsula, best around the 4th of July or in early August during Fayette Heritage Day . In the past they have had tall ships come into the harbor area. They always have an old fashioned baseball game, where interpreters dress up as 19th-century players, plus other historical events and interpretations going on. The organizers do a great job.
My in-laws got a puppy recently, a lab mix of some kind. The boys will enjoy playing with the puppy this weekend. They lost their dog a few years ago and were waiting for the "right" dog to come into their lives. I guess they finally found one. It will be interesting, because we are bringing our dog down to visit too (with in-law's approval, of course). Sasha is a social dog and I think will be a good leader for the puppy.
I must return to packing...have a good weekend. :)

Dumbfounded..no other way to describe...

2009-05-19T01:53:00.007-04:00

I was completely dumbfounded today, when Andrew tells me that he couldn't finish an essay test that he had today. He had to write an essay (3 - 4 sentences) on explain what a leader is/and does for community, or some such nonsense. I wasn't dumbfounded that he couldn't, having HFA, conceptualize what being a leader is, because for him, and many others in the spectrum, that is a fairly abstract concept (roles in society, or many similar ideas, even though they've been "taught" these roles in conventional education, does NOT mean they understand them. Many societal aspects of our culture, including communicating are lost on people with autism...THEY DO NOT GET IT!!!Not to say they never will, but don't assume) ; I was dumbfounded with his teacher for not allowing Andrew to be pulled out for this type of assignment. And here is why: Mies and I just sat in a meeting last Thursday, with his teacher, the principal, the school psychologist, the school speech therapist AND the ISD's autistic coordinator, about Andrew and what the school can do to allow him to succeed. Some major terms that were placed in his revised 504 plan were that he have writing assignments modified, that he be allowed as use of a "scribe" (i.e. an aid who he can give answers to orally and that person write down or once he expressed his ideas out loud someone to assist with formulating his ideas into sentences.), AND to be pulled out of the classroom and allowed EXTRA time on these type of assignments. Did his teacher allow for ANY of these modifications for him.....NO! And what do I hear, from my son, the minute I pick him up from school..and trust me folks, Andrew doesn't share much with us...that he had a "bad day", that he failed a writing test, that he's stupid and dumb. Well, isn't that the best thing your child can say to you about his day. So, instead of allowing him some kind of modification in an area he struggles in, he is set up to fail.
Now I can here some nay-sayers telling me that in life we need to know failure in order to learn from it, but what if that is ALL he is learning. Where is the positive, why did I sit there in that meeting with those people, only to hear that today it's the SAME OLD SHIT! This infuriates me. I've explained to his teacher, until I'm blue in the face, that one of the deficits (for lake of a better word, it is 2:12 AM people) for people with autism is socialization, the rules of socialization, the roles of socialization. These are things that for most people are learned early on in our lives. We learn as infants watching people interact with one another. But for those with autism, these things are not learned norms of behavior they are abstract ideas. They CAN be learned, but individuals on the spectrum need to work at it. It's is like they have a social disability. So, why can't his teacher understand this?
In order to prevent this from happening in the future, I found some books that I may have to purchase for the school. One book is by Paula Kluth titled, "You're Going to Love This Kid!": Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom. I may even make a bib. of books and websites for next years teacher, so she can review them over the summer. I know teachers don't have much time during the school year, but hopefully she can review some of the items over the summer. I didn't do this for Andrew this year, because his teacher, who has worked with him before, as a long term sub, and with after-school and summer programs, claimed she knew how to help him succeed. But as the year has progressed, I think she has failed him. And I can almost guarantee that she is aware of this, most insightful teachers are, but I cannot ASSUME.

Pictures from Mother's Day.

2009-05-12T13:22:00.008-04:00

Mama..

2009-05-10T17:28:00.002-04:00

I had a lovely Mother's Day this year. My hubby and the boys took me out for breakfast at the famous Suomi Restaurant in Houghton. Then we worked around the yard; planning our re-landscape for the summer. Lastly, it ended with a pint at the Keweenaw Brewing Company, then a dinner made by Mies. :)
I also applied for a part-time baker's assistant position at Suomi. I hope to get the job; I think it will be fun for a summer.

Meeting

2009-05-06T06:46:00.002-04:00

As Mies and I are preparing for Andrew's new 504 Plan meeting, I keep coming across information to use for the meeting. We want to stress that Andrew is an intelligent young man, however he perceives the world differently then the "average" student and learns differently as well. I came across this quote from Jim Sinclair, from his article Don't Mourn for Us, way back in 1993 that is still a great guide today. Sinclair is describing what Mies and I feel to be true about our son, and what so many people miss when they speak of a "cure" for autism.
Here is the quote, "Autism isn't something a person has, or a "shell" that a person is trapped inside. There's no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person--and if it were possible, the person you'd have left would not be the same person you started with."

As a parent I did struggle with this for a long time. I did mourn not having a "normal" child, but really, in my heart, I couldn't love Andrew any better if he were "normal". He brings new meaning to my life and through him I've learned to look at things differently. He has broadened my view on the world and I cannot wait to watch him grow and change over the years, just as he is, as Andrew, my son.

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! and some Liz Phair, too.

5 Foster's left

2009-05-03T07:50:00.005-04:00

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
My kids are upset to learn that there are only 5 episodes of Fosters. Here is the link to my favorite episode! Because I am Franki and Mac in one, but my kids are Bloo and Cheese.
http://bububear.multiply.com/video/item/42/Fosters_Home_For_Imaginary_Friends_-_Mac_Daddy_Pt._1 (this part is jumbled)
http://bububear.multiply.com/video/item/43/Fosters_Home_For_Imaginary_Friends_-_Mac_Daddy_Pt._2 (this portion really reminds me of my boys) :)
The last portion, which also reminds me of my boys on some level. http://bububear.multiply.com/video/item/44

Last Day

2009-05-01T08:18:00.004-04:00

Well, it is my last day at Finlandia University for FY 2008/2009. Now I'm "unemployed" until the end of August. I'm trying to find a summer job here in the Keweenaw and hopefully I can find something close to home and with a decent wage. So far, I've applied at three places.
It is hard since I'm competing with college kids who are coming home for the summer and also looking for work. I'll try econo-foods and Walmart (that one makes me shutter) next. And lastly, I'll look into BHK's Great Exploration Summer Program at Houghton Elementary, maybe I can help in some capacity--the only bad part of that job, is that my salary may be eaten up by childcare costs. *Sigh*

Happy Birthday, Mies

2009-04-27T09:07:00.003-04:00

Today is Mies' birthday and he's under much stress, but wanted to let him know that I love him. He is my best friend and am happy to have him in my life.

Happy Birthday!

Weather went poo!

2009-04-21T11:50:00.003-04:00

So much for the warmer weather; it's been snowing since yesterday!! This is what I woke up to. Yucky.

Warmer weather

2009-04-16T18:04:00.003-04:00

It was nice to be out and about today; we are having unseasonably warm weather this week. Work has been busy, since it is the end of the semester and it seems the students need help with papers, etc. Plus, there is a huge backlog of cataloging to work on.
I'm having trouble deciding what I want to do when I "grow up". I'm not sure I want to stay with libraries, not that there is anything wrong with Librarianship or anything; it's just not exciting to me. My problem is, is that I get bored and want to find something "sexy" in a job, but what is a "sexy" job? Even if I had the most exciting job on the planet, I may still get bored. I just feel I have many ideas and energy and am not able to channel it. I also have too many interests. I love language, composition, history, cultural studies, education (reform) ...what does one do with all that? If anyone out there reads this and has an answer, please let me know.

2009-04-13T15:51:00.003-04:00

I've had a cloudy day today, so I had to listen to this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iknEJf9cPeY
I'm a closet fan of Earth, Wind and Fire. :) I guess, I'm out now. This song always makes me want to get up and dance. Today, I needed some cheering up and so, "September" popped into my head. My boys liked it too. This is their last day of Spring vacation and they are at each others throats; school cannot start up again soon enough.
I have three more weeks of work then my contract is up for this school year. I will then need to find a summer gig, somewhere! Not sure where to go, downtown is going to be torn up and it will hurt tourism and restaurants, etc. So, maybe waiting/tending is out of the question. Stay tuned.

Spring Break

2009-04-08T14:54:00.002-04:00

My sons are off school this week for their spring break. We didn't get to go anywhere this year, mainly because my break didn't align with theirs. Mies and I are splitting our time in order to not have to pay for childcare. Since I work part-time anyway, he went to 3 part-time days and took off Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, he and the boys are going down to his Mom and Step-Dad's for the weekend and I (for the first time in 11 years) will be flying solo. I have made no plans as I just want some quiet time to do what I want and not have to be "Mom" for a few days.
I know that by Friday evening, when we usually have "Family Night" activities, I will be missing them horribly.

Out like a lion..

2009-03-31T12:57:00.001-04:00

So, it is the last day of March and we're supposed to get 3 inches of snow. I'm not happy. I gave up on the shoveling thing sometime last February. I mean, what is the point. Some did melt in our little warm up a few weeks ago, causing the snow piles to shrink, slightly.

The men in my life (from 1/2007)

2009-03-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

I love this picture, it was taken at Mies' father's place in Las Cruces, NM. I took it. They had been wrestling in the "grass" and playing with the soccer ball. It was a fun afternoon.
Knowing that I suffer from SAD, it is little things, like this photo, that help me get up and moving. Even though I may feel like I'm on autopilot, just surviving the day-to-day, there is always something that reminds me of what is important and the day goes on.
It is snowing today, the 27th of March, and I am having a hard day; I just want spring to come and the sun to shine. I need the sunshine. Even if it were cold, yet sunny I could bundle up and just sit in the sun, for as long as I could tolerate it, just to experience some of its warmth. That would help, especially now that our deck is relatively snow free, it may have an inch on it, which can be swept away, as opposed to feet of snow on the deck, which cannot be swept away. I could sit on the deck, all bundled, with my face to the sun, just for a few minutes even...that would help me this time of year. At least that is what I'm telling myself.

"Lonely Teardrops" playing in the background.

2009-03-25T19:00:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure if it's the weather that is causing this (has been a LONG winter) or what, but lately I've been extremely homesick. I miss my family and friends. I did go to see my parents, my brother Paul, Celeste and the kids earlier this Month, but was so busy I didn't have a chance to see any friends. And now with things being as they are may not be able to go down to visit this summer. I only work on contract while classes are in session, and only for 25 hrs./week. I'm done here on May 1st and then not sure what to do. I may have to get a waitressing job, or something, to help make ends meet. If I do find work, then I'm not sure we can get away this summer. UGH!!!

2009-03-24T17:53:00.002-04:00

Second post.
My oldest son has HFA and APD, he was diagnosed when he was 5 1/2 years old near the ending of his year of Young 5's; the process was not a pretty one. He went through all these IQ tests and other silly things and the report of dismal. Never expect him to do live independently, etc. So, we got another opinion. Since we live in a rural area, we had to travel over 500 miles to a specialist. Their testing procedure was much more child oriented, and although they came to the same conclusion, they said that with assistance through therapies and other agencies, our son would be fine. Now, 5 years later, he is doing well. Every year he seems to progress leaps and bounds. He has no issues with transitioning; seems laid back even. His speech is improving and so are his social skills. I've heard that once a child hit puberty they may regress slightly. Oh, the things to come.

2009-03-23T11:02:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I'm new at this..here goes.
I'm working on some more difficult cataloging and needing a slight break from it. My eyes are crossing!
It's a new week, new adventures, wondering what kinds of things the boys will have to do today--school wise.
That's all for now. Lame, I know.