REBLOG: Why Blog?

Someone asked me, why blog?  Why do you blog if no one reads it?

There are two answers to this...

One, because I have 13 followers for the blog itself and 100+ member in the Overcoming being Overwhelmed group on Facebook. So while I guess I am not the most popular blog out there, I get read (even if its only by mostly my family and friends...Thank you btw!).

Two, I've been writing since I was in grade school. Poetry, short stories, diaries... It is something I need to do.  Sometimes it is just to clear my head.  Other times I simply have something I want to say or a funny story to share. When HistoryBoy was little, I wrote short stories for him about my childhood and my dog Ginger, most of which actually featured my little brother, Engineer.  (Maybe I should share those stories. LOL).

The long and the short of is I like to write, sometimes LOVE it, and sometimes simply have to. Without this particular media, I would be simply publishing my ideas in my journal possibly sharing with some friends. This allows me to share with a lot more people, and if anyone gets something out of it, if I help even one person, then that's AWESOME.

REBLOG: Easter Sunday started out well... (reposted from 04/24/11)

Part 1: The Easter Bunny made his yearly visit we got ready for church, minimal hassle. We got to
church early and got a seat in the balcony which my son from here on called HistoryBoy loves. I personally have trouble walking up the stairs with my hip but that is another issue entirely, but it makes him happy and he will behave all through mass. All is going well until about halfway through he tries to stand the kneeler up. Apparent it was not attached to the pew so it flips over and off under the pew ahead of us. HistoryBoy just shut down. We got the kneeler back in place but he just put his head in his lap and rocked for a few min. I got him back on track mostly by the Our Father, but he was still a little off. Mass ended, crisis over or averted sort of...

Part 2: We decided to go to the Train Station for lunch. We love the food there. HistoryBoy love it because any of you who know him know his first love was trains long before he was the HistoryBoy we know and love. We were seated and ordered and everything was fine, until a bee entered our area.  HistoryBoy cannot be in the same room as a bee. We shooed the bee away, got he re-settled down and the bee came back and he ran out of the room and wouldn't come back. We ended up having to eat our meals in the other room from my parents because the bee was still happily buzzing a the outside tables where my parents were eating.

Part 3: After a rest for myself at home, we went to my mom's to help with Easter dinner prep. HistoryBoy stood on the steps waiting, watching out the window for a full hour, waiting for my brother to arrive with my 2 yr old nephew. He wouldn't move from that spot until they arrived because he didn't want to miss them getting here.

Part 4: It was a long day. Dinner was great, Everybody ate everything they wanted. But HistoryBoy is
exhausted and now easily upset because he is tired. We give him two chores to do, but apparently that was too many, he crashes and burns a starts to bang his head against the wall tonight 3 times them he stops. I tried to get him to stop this behavior but he tells me it calms him, so while it scares the craps out of me it makes him feels better, I think I need the psychologist to explain that one to me...

Each piece had its good parts and each piece had a Aspie trait show up. But if my experiences help you, then it has done some good. :) Look forward to hearing from you

I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at teenahope@gmail.com

Saturday Fun Means Sunday Sucks

This past Saturday was a great day for several reasons. We started off the day as usual. HistoryBoy had karate. Then my good friend Kathy came down to visit. We see each other maybe once a year if we are lucky. We went to college together and she currently lives in Connecticut so it is tough to get together often. But it was so great to see her. We has breakfast, early lunch at Popeye's. LOL

We then went our community town fair. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. We didn't expect it to be so warm or so sunny, otherwise I would have had sunscreen and possibly an umbrella. I think I melted. I pushed myself because I wanted to spend time with Kathy and I promised HistoryBoy that he could ride the ride. Ok, so by the time we got through the booths to the rides I was so done in, he got to chose 3 rides but he was good about it. Kathy had to leave to go meet up with her family and I had to went home and CRASHED.

On Sunday, I couldn't even get out of bed. Ok, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom, none o us wanted to deal with THAT. But otherwise, I was in bed. I was so sore, so achy. My head hurt.

It's the same story again and again. I think you have read it before. I have a nice day. Then an sucky day or two or three. How to avoid it is what I want to know? But would I trade the time I spent with my friend? Or the enjoyment of watching my son play with his friends?

I need a little button like a Thanksgiving turkey that says your done, stop now and you will be fine, no repercussions. I can tell when I am getting tired, don't get me wrong, and I know when I am pushing the envelope and stealing tomorrow's spoons, but I know I didn't steal a week's worth of spoons so what gives? I am just feeling a little frustrated. The answers are NO, I wouldn't trade any of these moments, I just have to get my body to keep up.

Remembering Pops - Memorial Day 2011

This and every Memorial Day, I remember my Grandpop. He served in WWII. He was injured and sat in a hospital in Germany for a long time, not knowing if he would survive. He lost a lot friends, both from home and ones he made abroad. We honor those that serve in our Armed Forces. It is because of YOU that we can live safely in our homes. Thank You and God Bless YOU!

Louis Vincent Ambrose

April 8, 1920 - February 9, 2006

Our Puppy ~ Christmas 2009

We decided to get a puppy. We decided to adopt a puppy from a shelter. We discussed what kind we wanted, and decided on a lab or lab/mix. I love labs and that is what I have always owned and they are great with kids and we needed a dog that would not be timid or overwhelmed by our HistoryBoy.

We went to our local shelter we found the cutest puppy named Maddie, a little black lab mix, curled up in a little ball. She was perfect! A little hyper, but she was only approx. 8 months old, so what did we expect. She was loving, and a great guard dog, she has an AWESOME bark. No one got near me or HistoryBoy. Although I think she would have run if things got hairy, she was a little timid when someone reached for her!

Now, since she was only 8 months old, we expected her to get bigger. We took her to the vet for a check up and they suggested she might be greyhound and not just lab, she could get a bit bigger. (Uh oh) As you can see by the pic taken about a month after we got her, she isn't full grown but she can almost stretch from one side of my full bed to the other. Yeah, not so little dog. Still love her, but not so little.

It has been suggested to us that while our lovely Madison, looks like a Black Lab, in the face and coat, her build is definitely something else, and I quite agree. If you could see her run or jump, you might think she is part horse or jack rabbit, which definitively puts greyhound into the mix. It's funny even now when she is lying now she will tuck her legs under her sometimes ans she will look like that small puppy until she unfurls those legs and you realize I must own a mini-black horse or something.

In all honesty, she is a great dog, and a great choice of dog for HistoryBoy. She has the energy to run with him when his hyperactivity has taken hold and the size to keep him contained. But on that same note, when he is in school and I am in bed lying down she is content to lie by my bed, or sometimes on the bed by my feet. She is the perfect dog for our family. I wanted a companion for myself during the day when I was alone and for HistoryBoy to interact with. And we couldn't have gotten any better.