Author: Doris

Brrr… cold this morning to be on a horse. Edda likes to fall asleep on top of Shamrock.

We also were at Union Station dropping Emy off after her 18 hour visit. We ate in the food court and then stopped by this Xmas tree (a gift from Norway).

We are trying to tame our clutter buy purchasing various “organizational systems” from IKEA. Each time we come up with a new organizational plan, I feel so hopeful and excited that once the shelf is installed, my life will be orderly.

Emy, Jeremy’s sister, was suppose to come to town last night because the organization she works for is somehow associated with a performance at the Kennedy Center that is happening this weekend, but an ice storm hit NY yesterday, all the trains were canceled and besides that, her car was stuck in the garage behind an electric garage door opener. So she’s trying to make it down today for tonight’s performance.

Our sitter, Yvonne, is in Miami for three days this week. On Wednesday, Jeremy did the morning and I came home just in time for the school pick up. Today, Jeremy stayed home and tomorrow I will stay home.

Since I work, I often do not get to meet a lot of the folks in my children’s lives. For example, Wednesday was the first time I met Edda’s afternoon bus driver and bus aide and of course, I’ve already forgotten their names.

Tomorrow I’m going to go to Vince’s school – it just happens that they have an augmentative communication program at the school and I’m going to see what it’s like and if it is appropriate for Edda. The requirement for entrance is to be able to do 50 PECS/pictures or symbols on an ACC device and Edda can not meet that goal right now, not even close. What can I say, it’s a struggle – this communication thing. It often depresses me and I think I can do better. Sigh.

Some of the kids in the augmentative communication program mainstream into Vincent’s social studies class and he often partners with a little boy in a wheelchair who uses an augmentative communication device we call the Big Box of Words. I have never met this little boy, but it gives me great pleasure to imagine Vince with this other little kid in social studies class together figuring out how the US government works.

But on Saturday night, it was cold and it snowed just enough to make a snow angel.

Here’s the relevant article.

Here

What a time sink! It’s so weird to watch Edda “dance”!

Jeremy has installed Edda’s swing in the upstairs guest bedroom. He has two eye bolts coming in from the ceiling joists and then 2 heavy metal chains hanging from the bolts. The metal chains are what you can see through the window from the street. I wonder if the neighbors are just a little bit curious what why we need metal chains hanging from the ceiling…

I have been in one of my cleaning (aka throwing stuff away) moods the past few days, where the piles of clutter everywhere are driving me up the wall. I’ve been trying to clean up a little bit – thoroughly confusing Vince and Jeremy who are both more used to a more relaxed (and messy) mother.

I love potlucks. We had a potluck at church today, the theme was “getting ready for the holidays”. It was full of crafts for the kids and the church band played. Even though I love potlucks and I’m the main church goer in the family, I don’t do the cooking for the church potlucks. I usually convince Jeremy to make something for the event and then he shows up to the potluck to be nice.

I’m still getting used to the idea of going to church since I didn’t grow up in a religious home and the statement, “I go to church” does not come easily to my lips – it is just something I thought I would never say. The other day someone asked me if I was religious and I said that I am not, but that I do go to a church. The world is a curious place.

We spent the day vacuuming dog hair off the couch and putting together our Christmas tree. Vincent is having a tough time waiting to open his gifts. He has not been a happy camper.

This evening, we took Yvonne out to dinner for her birthday. She turned 19 today. Jeremy spoke with some of her pals, and while we were out to dinner, they all came over and decorated the house and really surprised Yvonne!