In So Many Words

Wow, my first to do list since we got back from vacation and started school! Frankly, the list of things to do has been so long that I have been avoiding it like the plague. Last night, I finally made some progress in crossing stuff off, so here’s what’s left:

To Do List

Finish adding people from autism fair to ASD HOPE list serve.

Find Michael’s swim goggles before the next session.

Get OAT form filled out and test sent in to the lab. They did fill it out but used the wrong insurance codes, so I am working with the office manager to see if the doctor will fix it.

Sync & charge Palm Pilot.

Figure out what side dish to take to friend’s house Friday night (and then make it).

Go through vacation photos and get prints made for family back home.

Locate and purchase the books J recommended for telling your child about their diagnosis.

Find more of the jeans I like that actually fit and buy more of them. (Side item: pray that boss never decides to take away casual dress code!)

Find someone to switch with for Friendship Station at church so I can join family when they go to Lake Tobias in October. Now this looks like it has been switched to a different weekend, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Buy presents and/or make cards for October birthdays – Emma (card done), Samantha (card done), Kyle (gift ready), Dan, Lisa (all done) and Joshua (all done).

It seems like an inordinately large number of these items involve spending money. Maybe I should have said yes when my boss asked me if I wanted to work more hours….

So, what’s on your to do list?

For more To-Do Tuesday, visit Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

I had a nice morning at home today.  Other than two loads of laundry, I didn’t do any housework.  Instead, I spent some time online catching up on blogs and actually leaving comments, which I haven’t done in a while.  Michael wanted to make his birthday list, so I sat by to answer questions about spelling while he typed it out, and then we played Duck, Duck, Goose with three of his Webkinz to round out the circle. 

We also counted out the days on the calendar and found that it is 13 more days until his birthday.  He is so excited!  He wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his best friend like he did last year, and I had talked to him yesterday about the fact that the only day our schedules will mesh is on the 12th, two days after his actual birthday.  He was pretty upset about it yesterday, but I think he is already coming around and within a day or so should be okay with the plan.

I really should have worked on my to-do list, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Tonight is our annual business meeting at church, so I will have to pick Michael up from Stepping Stones at 6:00 and head over to meet Bob at Burger King to grab a bite before church.  It is so nice to come out of work and still have a few minutes of daylight; I’m looking forward to changing the clocks, although that will mean the front parking spaces at work will no longer be reserved for those of us who work past 5:00.  No big deal; I’ll just start parking in the back of the building again – it’s just that it always takes me a while to remember not to go out the front door when I leave!

I am still waiting on my new project to get started, but I have been doing some reading about SEO in the meantime and am hoping I won’t look like too much of a dunce once I start working with the consultant.  It’s definitely going to be a learn-as-you-go type of thing, which is a stretch for me, as I usually like to have all the details before I even begin.

Well, it’s time to head off to school and work.  Enjoy the day!

Yesterday morning another one of Michael’s former TSS’s came for a visit. We had a nice time sharing what we have been up to and talking/playing with Michael.

Her daughter’s family has recently moved back to Pennsylvania from California, and she mentioned needing to go shopping for warmer clothes for the kids since they don’t really have anything suitable for winter. Well, it turned out that the two boys are 2 and 4, so I was pretty sure I still had clothes in those sizes up in my attic.

When I went up the ladder, I was amazed at how many boxes of stuff were there. They must have multiplied on their own, because I certainly don’t remember putting that much up there myself! I was also shocked by how many clothes I still had, even though I have given quite a bit to other friends in the past. I started thinking about pulling it all out and getting rid of it, but I know I don’t really want to lug it all to a donation center.

So I brought down the 2T and 4T clothes that I had and we went through it to find the fall/winter items. I actually had a winter coat in each size! My plan for the rest of it is to bring it all down and schedule a couple of mornings where any of the moms from church can come over and take whatever they can use. I’m not sure how long it will take me to actually organize this, but I think it will be a lot of fun!

Things have really been going pretty well the last few days, although I would have loved to sit down and write about what I have been thinking and doing. I spent most of yesterday evening, however, organizing my thoughts for a team meeting we had today at school. I do have to say that it was very enlightening reviewing all the communication forms that have come home over the last few weeks, and some patterns and clues definitely emerged.

We had a friendly and productive meeting overall. The main issue seems to be the willingness of the classroom teacher to accept new ideas and strategies, but the team is committed to ongoing education with all the regular ed teachers, and hopefully the additional supports we are putting in place will offset that difficulty.

Last Saturday I was blessed by a friend of mine who took Michael with her daughters to a family Halloween party. He had an awesome time running and playing with them and came home exhausted but happy. While they were gone, we were able to rest, watch a movie on DVD and go out to eat. Thank you, L! We love you.

Sunday was the last session for Fall Soccer, and all of the kids got trophies. Michael was so excited and is looking forward to the winter session, which is at an indoor facility. His buddy isn’t going to be there, but I am sure he will have someone else just as good.

This morning I slept very late due to being up so long finishing my notes for the IEP team, and had to rush to get ready for an ASD HOPE board meeting. This is a group that works with parents who have recently gotten a diagnosis and need help getting started, as well as with parents who are interested in starting a GFCF diet. We have various meetings and an information booklet that we put together. (The booklet can be downloaded from our website, if anyone is interested, although a lot of the information is for our local area.)

Tomorrow Michael will be meeting the psychologist I contacted for the first time. I met with her last week and was very impressed. More on all of that later!

So, I’m done rambling and must go to bed. ‘Night, all!