cute pic

"Mom, would you like to see the cute picture I took of Kira and me? Kira looks so cute in it!"

(I think the photographer looks pretty cute, too.)

batch cooking day

Derek took the kids to see his parents today and I stayed home to do a small round of batch cooking (a la Money Saving Mom). It went pretty well for my first time, I think. Definitely awesome to have the whole house to myself!

I fired up both slow cookers, the bread machine, and the stock pot on the stove top.

Final tally:

3 bags of chicken stock (2 cups per bag) - I had a couple of bags of bones from roast chickens in the freezer. I chopped up onions and carrots for potato soup later in the week and added some to the stock as well.

2 bags of pinto beans w/bacon (2 cups per bag)

1 bag of bean/bacon broth for soup later (2 cups)

2 bowls of pinto beans - 1 for my lunch today and 1 to make refried beans with tomorrow

3 bags of garbanzo beans (2 cups per bag)

2 loaves of bread - 1 white and 1 maple oat (first time making this, yum!)

4 dozen chocolate chip cookie bites (+ one rather generous hunk for the taking-a-break mama)

2 cups chopped onion

2(ish) cups chopped carrots

It was a last minute plan, so I was mainly using what we already had on hand. Next time, I'll try to do more. I just didn't want to overwhelm myself the first time! Because I was mainly using the slow cookers and the bread machine, I was able to leave and run a couple of errands and clean out the fridge - woo-hoo!

Here's a not fabulous pic:

And bonus shots of the cutie kids before they left for the day:

If anyone wants recipes, lmk. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

jacksonisms

A couple of days ago:
Jackson (hollering from the bathroom): "MOOOOOMMMMMM"
Me: "Did you poop?"
Jackson: "Indeed I did, and it is quite disgusting."


This morning:
Me: "Jackson, where's your sister?"
Jackson: "That's not my concern."


Brotherly advice for Kira: "Kira, don't ever fall down. It really hurts." (lesson learned after a spectacularly clumsy crash into the rocking chair - he is his mother's child.)

ARD - advice needed

We're getting ready for our ARD* meeting on the 18th. I'm attending a sort of "getting ready for your first ARD" training session next week.

Our OT (last visit, so sad) told me that if Kira starts in the blended class, to request that we have an OT monitoring Kira's progress periodically. (Assuming that Kira isn't offered OT, initially.) Laurie said that whenever we have an ARD, to make sure that we have concrete reasons for requesting various therapies, rather than just saying that we want OT (or whatever). Specifically, she said that we should request that Kira be monitored for hand strength, hand skills (grasp patterns, bilateral skills), and self help skills (eating, dressing herself, etc).


Brenda left this comment on an earlier post: Be sure to keep notes and documentation on/about all the ARDS.......keep copies of everything, phone calls, etc. You never know when you might need that data. (Thank you, Brenda!)


Beth recommended visiting classes to see what we feel the best fit for Kira would be. (Thank you, Beth!)

I'd love any advice anyone else wants to share about being prepared for the ARD. I don't anticipate having problems. I just want to be ready!

Thanks, y'all!

*ARD Meeting (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) - Annual review of a student’s special education program that includes an update of the student’s progress, a review of the current Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and development of a new IEP for the upcoming year.

WIP Wednesday

Works in Progress Wednesday

I'm finally posting some pics of recent craft projects!

Girlie tutu for Isabelle's bday party - I have enough of the ribbon to do another one of these for Kira:

Scarves for FIL and SIL bday gifts:

kind of lacy for SIL:

a smidge more manly for FIL (he actually couldn't tell the difference between the two!):

I learned how to crochet from a friend who learned how from her dad. She didn't know the names of the stitches when she taught me, so I haven't been able to read a pattern. I thought I should go back and teach myself how to crochet. Derek brought home a book from the library and I have yet to find any of the stitches I currently use in the book. So, I don't know what it is I've been doing all this time! Ah well, I can make scarves and blankets with my crochet-sort-of technique.

Current WIPs:

• I'm finishing up a baby blanket for my nephew's Christmas gift. It's crochet-sort-of.

• I'm working on a checkers quilt for Jackson. I have the squares (64 of them!) all cut out (Thank you Kam and Teri so so so so so so much for the cutting mat and rotary blade!!). I need to sew the board itself and figure out how I want to do the border. I've never quilted before, so I thought this would be a good starter project.

• I'm going to make a mini dress up kit for my niece (almost 4) - with a tutu, superhero cape, and magic wand.

That's all the Christmas I've started so far. If you're doing a handmade Christmas, I'd love to hear how your projects are going!

31 for 21 recap

I wanted to do a sort of wrap-up post for 31 for 21, even if it is a few days late. I enjoyed participating in 31 for 21 this year so much. I found some new blogs, had lots of interesting comments - even some from new readers, and really relished spending some extra time with our community.

I didn't get a post about Kira's birth story done. I've been so focused on the ECI/PPCD transition, that I just couldn't make myself gather my thoughts well enough to do a post about that bittersweet day. Maybe next year.

I didn't quite make 31 posts, but I got closer than I thought I would! Again, maybe next year. If even one person changed the way they think about Down syndrome, it was totally worth the attempt.

Thanks for reading, y'all!

Halloween pics

We went to a lovely Halloween party last night - much fun had by all! Jackson decided yesterday morning that he wanted to be a "superhero cowboy," so I spent the morning crafting that costume. Kira went as a pirate. I was a bath pouf. Derek was a hippie. There are, of course, no pics of Derek.

Hope everyone had a lovely Halloween!