The results are in...

Head start called me back today and said that Griffin qualifies for speech services. He passed his cognitive test perfectly fine and his vision test. Setting up his retest on hearing this week. But on articulation she said he scored at 3% (which I'm not sure is 100% accurate because he was SO shy) which means 97% of kids his age score higher than him. So he definitely qualifies. He'll be going to class 2x a week for 2 1/2 hrs each day. he can ride the bus (which makes me cry to think of my baby riding a bus all alone!) I just have mixed emotions over the whole thing. Anywho.. that's all I know so far. We'll have his IEP meeting in the next week or so before he starts.

I'm somewhat relieved that I know the process fairly well... seeing as that's my partial minor from college. So I know the IEP process and what not... just never thought I'd be going through it for my own child.

Vote for Tiffany

I'm just passing this along for my friend. I know not many read my blog but for those that do... please vote!

Honestly I have never met Tiffany. I came across her blog through my friend Kim's blog. I have never cried so hard over a blog story my entire life! You can read it HERE (warning you will need a tissue!!!) It is the story of her pregnancy in which she learns that her daughter's chances are that she won't live beyond birth and her decision to carry her as close to full term as possible.

Anyway the voting part. Tiffany gave birth just over a week ago to her angel Emma. Emma died shortly into labor. Tiffany is a finalist for a makeover and I think that she so deserves it. You can vote HERE.

If nothing else do it for me!

Thanks!
Camille

Let's see how much I really read

I love reading although the last few years it's been nearly non existant til recently. These are the top 200 novels... not sure how many i've actually read. Bold are ones I've read. Italics are ones I'd like to read.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence Life of Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews


Ummm apparently not enough. 10 of 200.. wow I better get reading!

The simple things

Ahhh to be a child again and take joy in the simplest things in life. Yesterday was our big grocery shopping day. I went with out Jason this time and just went with the boys which is always an adventure. While looking for the right razors for Jason, Tristan comes RUNNING back so excited "MOM! Come look at the new toothbrushes in town!!!" LOL It was a astronaut one and a soccer toothbrush and he was SO excited! Too bad they were $6, but ya know they ARE the new toothbrushes in town hehe.

Later on we make it to the fruit snack aisle. We can't ever pass that up. Tristan runs to go pick out his box and immediately yells "MOM!!! They got new fruit snacks!!!!" He was SO excited that they now had Operation (the game) fruit snacks. So of course they each had to have a box. There was another lady in the aisle just laughing and laughing but she reminded me to enjoy the excitement of fruit snacks while it lasts because they grow up, then pointed to her teenage daughter who was trying really hard NOT to laugh.

Putting it out there to the world

I figure if I post it to the world (or at the least the 5 people that read my blog) I will hold myself more accountable! I have always been the big girl since I was 13. I thought I was HUGE back then... I had no idea. I am to the point I have to do something so I can be around to see my grandkids. I'm not unhealthy. I have no immediate health concerns other than my weight! So I am putting it out there that I will lose weight and I will keep it off (unlike in the past).

I have been working for almost 2 weeks now doing exercise of some kind every.single.day. I lost a few lbs the first week but they have since come back but I will keep going. I have to. Tristan is so good about reminding me to work out and he will even do my obnoxious Denise Austin Cardio work out with me LOL I just wish I had his energy! After 30 mins he still wants to do more and more!

Now I'm not living like a rabbit. I love my food but I am watching what I eat and most importantly how much! That seems to be my biggest problem, not so much what I'm eating but I can't eat for 3 people. So if you happen to read this..help me stay accountable and on track. They say it takes 3 weeks to form a new habit. I'm about half way there. If I can make it a month I think I'll be good to go!

Griffin's 3 yr old Check up

He is almost 36 lbs and 38 inches tall. He's thinning out a lot and is a little on the tall side for his age. His ears are now dewaxified. NASTY NASTY NASTY. But he was such a trooper for it all. His left ear is slightly irritated... not sure if it's from the wax or if it's slightly infected. She said to wait til later this week or early next week before doing the hearing test to see if it goes back to normal and if he fails on that ear to call her for antibiotics. Otherwise he's healthy as a horse, got 5 shots and only cried for the Measles and Chk pox shot. Walked out spoiled with a new bob the builder book, a sucker, a sticker and starbursts.

Now we just wait to see if this fixes the speech or not. *crossing fingers*

Got tagged again

Similiar to the last one but not the same. Thanks Sarah :P

8 favorite TV shows
1~ Biggest Loser
2~ Bones
3~House
4~ American Idol
5~ Ellen
6~ What Not to Wear
7~ Drive Ins and Dives
8~ Jon and Kate plus 8

8 Favorite Restaurants

1~Red Robin
2~ Denny's (lame I know!)
3~ ummm Crown burger?
4~Ruby Tuesday
5~ Virgs
6~ Ixtapa (lame again but we don't have many places to eat around here!)
7~ Training Table
8~ Mimi's Cafe

8 things that happened yesterdy

1~ worked out
2~ deep cleaned my living room
3~ played Star Wars Monopoly
4~ ate LOL
5~ made jello
6~ watched tv
7~ laundry
8~ read more of my book (Angels & Demons)

8 things to look forward to

1~ Bonkos this weekend
2~ our refinance finishing up
3~ TooeleMommies bday party
4~ TooeleMommies bday party being OVER LOL
5~ Joining Gold's Gym
6~ working out more so I can be skinnier
7~ dinner tonight
8~ my electrical work being done in my house

8 things on my wishlist

1~ for my house to stay clean
2~ to lose weight
3~ for Jason to keep his job
4~ getting out of debt
5~ the economy to get better
6~ losing a bunch of weight
7~ keeping that bunch of weight OFF
8~ healthy family and friends

8 people I tag

I'm not sure 8 people read my blog... so again.. if you read, consider yourself tagged!

Griffin's Speech Evaluation

Today was Griffin's speech evaluation because he's still not speaking very clearly. We won't have the results for 3-4 wks but after he warmed up he did ok. Didn't get the hearing test done because his ears are packed in wax.. have to fix that and take him back. Passed his vision, barely got him to talk for the articulation which was the most important. All of them get tested on cognitive just because. He aced that. He was doing things that 5 yrs old should do and did decent for a 3 yr old on the 6 and 7 yr old stuff. So it just reaffirmed he's brilliant and just doesn't talk... although the wax may be the culprit!

National Bankruptcy Day!

I'm quoting my dear friend Melissa because she couldn't have said it any better. This Act will put my business out of business. It's really sad that it was even allowed to pass

Soon, a United States law will go into affect that will have a profound impact on small business, including many of my friends and loved ones. It is called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. It is a law that in essence, prohibits anyone from selling products to children under twelve without rigorous lead testing. This includes ANY products intended for use by a child. Small businesses, Etsy, E-bay, Craigslist, Freecycle, thrift stores, garage sales, even hand-me-downs are included in this measure.

I am disgusted. PLEASE write to your congressmen!

All items that haven't been tested for lead by February 10th will be required to be thrown into a landfill. I am disgusted that the country I live in, who boasts of its many freedoms, would do something as heinous as this.

What makes me even sicker is that OUR house passed it with no nays and only a few in the Senate. I have a pit in my stomach. I can only imagine who is in the back pockets of these lawmakers.

For living in a country that boasts being a democracy, it sure feels a lot like communism.


To see more about National Bankruptcy Day SEE HERE

An article to see how this will effect thrift stores SEE HERE

How it will effect small business like Etsy SEE HERE

For a Facebook group that helps you to see how you may be able to change the law SEE HERE

In addition you can also vote against it here: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

Help the Mommies Network! We need a new server!

As most of you know I am the Site Admin of TooeleMommies.com. We are just one site of over 100 sites that make up The Mommies Network. We need help raising money to get us a bigger and better server. You do NOT need to be a member of TooeleMommies or any other mommies site (but if you want to be you can check out www.themommiesnetwork.org to see if there is a site in your area). It is at no cost to you to help us raise this money just some of your time :)

[Cough] [cough] The system health is strained due to overwork and lack of sleep.
Write reviews and help TMN raise money for a new server so we won't have to see this message any more!

Save the Server!

The Mommies Network needs your help. We are raising money to pay for a new server. In order to continue growing, we need to add a new server to our system. At this point, we are unable to add any more sites to our network because we are maxed out (have you seen the "[Cough] [cough] The system health is strained due to overwork and lack of sleep." message at the bottom of the screen?). The basic server we need is at least $5,000. The more money we raise, the better quality server we can purchase. Our goal is to raise $10,000 during this fundraiser. The fundraiser runs from Sunday, January 4 through Sunday, January 25.


How can you help?
Join Insider Pages http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/The-Mommies-Network-0901 and write reviews for businesses that you have patronized in the last 24 months. Invite your friends and families to write reviews as well - they do NOT need to live in your area, this is a national fundraiser ;) The more people who are writing reviews, the more successful this fundraiser will be! Our goal is to have all of our members write at least 10 reviews over the three weeks of the fundraiser. Each review can earn up to $1.50 for The Mommies Network! Every little bit helps!


You win too!
Your members have four chances to raise money for your site too!

* When TMN raises $1000, we will pick one participating site to receive $50 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $2500, we will pick one participating site to receive $100 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $5000, we will pick 1 participating site to receive $125 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

* When TMN raises $10,000, we will pick 1 participating site to receive $150 for a site party/event, and that site will receive a special theme color.

*A participating site is any site that has 10% or more of their members register, join their site team and write at least one review. Based on membership numbers as of December 2008.


Join Your Site's Team!
Want to get that prize for your local site!? Join their team in helping TMN SAVE THE SERVER!
Here are step by step instructions on how to get into your team and how you can participate!
Go To: http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/The-Mommies-Network-0901
Click on the Join This Fundraiser.
Choose 'Select a Team' (located under Your Contribution on the right hand side)
Select your site's name from the drop down menu and join!


Keep up to date on our progress! Visit http://themommiesnetwork.blogspot.com to view updated progress on the fundraiser, participating sites, and more.

The fine print from Insider Pages:
* You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
* Your experience with the business or service reviewed must be a first-hand experience. No hearsay please.
* Your experience with the business or service provider must have occurred within the last 24 months.
* The reviewed company must still be in business.
* Reviews of restaurant chains (McDonalds, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, etc.), gas station chains, movie theater chains and national or regional chain stores (Target, Dollar Tree, Home Depot etc.) DO NOT qualify. You are welcome to write reviews for these businesses but they will not earn your organization money for the fundraiser. Most people are pretty familiar with these businesses and there tends to be little differentiation city to city and state to state. In other words, these are businesses that do not require a word-of-mouth referral so reviews of these businesses are of little value to people like you – and to our community of users.
* Copied reviews in whole or in part from any other sources do not qualify.
* Profanity, abusive or offensive language in reviews, reviews alleging illegal activity or malpractice, and reviews deemed inappropriate by Insider Pages editors do not qualify.
* Proper grammar, punctuation and spelling must be used. No "text speak" or ALL CAPS.
* Business owners and employees/associates are not allowed to review themselves. Instead, business owners should claim their business profile page and customize it by adding information, photos, special offers, their story, and more – all for FREE.
* If you are adding a new business to the Insider Pages database, please make sure to the best of your ability that the listing is not a duplicate and that the company's current contact information is provided. Information provided must be able to be verified by a third party source including another website, a business card, receipt, directory listing or other reliable source.
* Personal information or messages including email addresses, URLs, phone numbers and postal addresses (or both first and last name of an individual unless their name is also part of the business name) that are not already publicly available.
* Review submissions must be entered directly on the Insider Pages website.
* Reviews not meeting our terms and conditions or deemed inappropriate by Insider Pages editors do not qualify.

Thank you for supporting The Mommies Network!