I went to parent/teacher interviews last week at the high school. I'm always a little apprehensive about these as I'm always afraid that I'm going to hear some surprises (although, they have almost always been good). Well ... I was right. I was surprised ... but very pleasantly. We went to Matt's Math class. His teacher is one that he has had before ... in grade 10, so I knew that she knew Matt well, and liked working with him before.
After we said hello she said to me "I've been meaning to call you" ... oh great! This is never good. Then she shared with me how much she is loving having Matt in her class again and that she has noticed a lot of changes in him and how he's socializing better, and just interacting with others. I aked her if she is seeing any inappropriateness in the way that he is interacting, or any difficulties with the non-verbal cues, and she said no. She said that he fits in very well with everyone and is socializing just like his peer. In fact, he is quite humourous and is keeping them laughing. He has even written his teacher some poems about math and his dislike for certain units they've done.
His other teachers all had the same to say. He's interacting well, and he's socializing.
I love to see progress!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
It burned, burned burned ...
LOL! Matt is always finding these videos on the internet and showing me. I thought my American family might really enjoy this one.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
I was tagged!
Cool. I've never been tagged before. Barb tagged me on her blog.
2 (nick) names I've gone by: I don't know if I've "gone by" any nick names, but when I was small I used to get "Babs" by my Grandfather (I detested it) and Barbie by my relatives on my Dad's side (I hated that too.)
2 things I'm wearing right now: Pajama pants and a T shirt.
2 of my favorite things to do: Scrapbook, and just hang out with my guys.
2 favorite drinks: Tea and Coke (but the latter I've cut out)
2 movies I could watch over and over: Anna and the King, and ummmm .......
Typically, what time do you wake up: usually around 7 a.m.
On a good night, what time are your kids in bed: Cameron by 10, and the other two by 11 (but that's on a good night.)
What is your favorite kids' show/movie? Well, we're not really into those anymore, but Cameron and I really loved Horton.
What is your favorite chore: certainly not grocery shopping or ironing.
What is your favorite quality about your mom: My mom has a big heart for anyone in need and will come up with some way in which she can help. She's always got something on the go where she's helping someone in need. She's very kind and compassionate.
Who am I tagging: I will only pick two ... two who I know will read this very soon ... David and Evie.
2 (nick) names I've gone by: I don't know if I've "gone by" any nick names, but when I was small I used to get "Babs" by my Grandfather (I detested it) and Barbie by my relatives on my Dad's side (I hated that too.)
2 things I'm wearing right now: Pajama pants and a T shirt.
2 of my favorite things to do: Scrapbook, and just hang out with my guys.
2 favorite drinks: Tea and Coke (but the latter I've cut out)
2 movies I could watch over and over: Anna and the King, and ummmm .......
Typically, what time do you wake up: usually around 7 a.m.
On a good night, what time are your kids in bed: Cameron by 10, and the other two by 11 (but that's on a good night.)
What is your favorite kids' show/movie? Well, we're not really into those anymore, but Cameron and I really loved Horton.
What is your favorite chore: certainly not grocery shopping or ironing.
What is your favorite quality about your mom: My mom has a big heart for anyone in need and will come up with some way in which she can help. She's always got something on the go where she's helping someone in need. She's very kind and compassionate.
Who am I tagging: I will only pick two ... two who I know will read this very soon ... David and Evie.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The one question I get asked more than anything about Matthew and his Nonverbal Learning Disorder (other than "what is that?") is "when did you first notice something was different?"
Well, we certainly knew something was up by the time he was 7, but in hind sight we could see a lot of the signs as early as two.
Matt was an early talker and always had quite the extensive vocabulary for his age. (we know now that it is all because of the NLD). He was a very smart little boy who knew a lot of "information." He loved to share his knowledge about things (he still does.)
There were lots of signs looking back that he wasn't getting a lot of the social cues when he as little and was showing signs of anxiety as early as two and a half. He played with other kids and seemed to be successful, for the most part in those early years. He was good with the rules because we had always verbalized the rules to him. However, from very early on he had great difficulty with things like tone of voice, and loudness. I felt like a broken record ... "lower the tone of your voice." "Don't talk so loud." "Use an inside voice." Now, of course, we see that that didn't mean anything to him.
He has always had dificulty moving from one activity to another. We were always "preparing" him for the next activity, giving him 10 minute warnings, and telling him in advance what to expect when we would arrive somewhere.
It's kind of funny. A lot of this stuff we just did instinctively, well before we even suspected that something was up.
When I look back at his pictures from when he was a toddler, or pre-schooler, I can see the look of confusion on his face much of the time. Now I can appreciate the anxiety he must have felt when he wasn't picking up all the non-verbal cues and was missing so much of his world.
I wish now that I realized just how much anxiety he felt in those early years so that could have helped him. ...the time when he was two and a half and we stopped at the fair and was watching someone bungee jump. As soon as they jumped he started screaming (we had no idea that he would even know what was going on!) ... the time when he was 3 and we had his birthday party and he started crying with all the kids sang happy birthday to him (it really put a damper on cake time, let me tell you.) ...when he would get very shy around people he didn't know (I know a lot of kids do this, but it was so out of character for him). Most days he was fine, but now I see that when he was in novel situations, or around people that he didn't know how to read, it was difficult for him.
I feel bad for the times he was disciplined for what we thought was defiance. Now we understand that he takes everything very literally and was trying his best to do what was right. I'm sure that our reaction only served to increase the anxiety he was feeling at the time.
Through it all, he had a very loving and sweet spirit. He loved to make people happy and tried so very hard to do what was right. He was very sensitive and kind ...and you know, he's still like that to this very moment.
Well, we certainly knew something was up by the time he was 7, but in hind sight we could see a lot of the signs as early as two.
Matt was an early talker and always had quite the extensive vocabulary for his age. (we know now that it is all because of the NLD). He was a very smart little boy who knew a lot of "information." He loved to share his knowledge about things (he still does.)
There were lots of signs looking back that he wasn't getting a lot of the social cues when he as little and was showing signs of anxiety as early as two and a half. He played with other kids and seemed to be successful, for the most part in those early years. He was good with the rules because we had always verbalized the rules to him. However, from very early on he had great difficulty with things like tone of voice, and loudness. I felt like a broken record ... "lower the tone of your voice." "Don't talk so loud." "Use an inside voice." Now, of course, we see that that didn't mean anything to him.
He has always had dificulty moving from one activity to another. We were always "preparing" him for the next activity, giving him 10 minute warnings, and telling him in advance what to expect when we would arrive somewhere.
It's kind of funny. A lot of this stuff we just did instinctively, well before we even suspected that something was up.
When I look back at his pictures from when he was a toddler, or pre-schooler, I can see the look of confusion on his face much of the time. Now I can appreciate the anxiety he must have felt when he wasn't picking up all the non-verbal cues and was missing so much of his world.
I wish now that I realized just how much anxiety he felt in those early years so that could have helped him. ...the time when he was two and a half and we stopped at the fair and was watching someone bungee jump. As soon as they jumped he started screaming (we had no idea that he would even know what was going on!) ... the time when he was 3 and we had his birthday party and he started crying with all the kids sang happy birthday to him (it really put a damper on cake time, let me tell you.) ...when he would get very shy around people he didn't know (I know a lot of kids do this, but it was so out of character for him). Most days he was fine, but now I see that when he was in novel situations, or around people that he didn't know how to read, it was difficult for him.
I feel bad for the times he was disciplined for what we thought was defiance. Now we understand that he takes everything very literally and was trying his best to do what was right. I'm sure that our reaction only served to increase the anxiety he was feeling at the time.
Through it all, he had a very loving and sweet spirit. He loved to make people happy and tried so very hard to do what was right. He was very sensitive and kind ...and you know, he's still like that to this very moment.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
I've been trying not to post a lot about Matthew and his Nonverbal Learning Disorder. I'm very aware of him being 17 and his right to privacy.
Today I've been blog surfing and reading blogs from other moms who walk the same road that we walk with a child with NLD. I asked Matthew what he thought about these mothers sharing their child's stories and if it bothered him that I shared some of his challenges here. He told me he thought it was good. He said that it's good that people share their experiences with each other so we can all help each other.
What a guy!
In one of the stops I made today I read a poem (I've read it before, but it seemed to have extra meaning for me today.) It was a poem written by a mother who has a child with Down's Syndrome but it certainly speaks for all mothers who have children with challenges.
Welcome To Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.
All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.
With the OK from Matthew, I will be sharing more of his story here. I feel that we've been on this road a long time and are now entering a new phase as he enters his adulthood. I hope that in sharing where we've been ... the good, the bad, and the ugly ... we can be of some encouragment to others who are just starting out in this.
Today I've been blog surfing and reading blogs from other moms who walk the same road that we walk with a child with NLD. I asked Matthew what he thought about these mothers sharing their child's stories and if it bothered him that I shared some of his challenges here. He told me he thought it was good. He said that it's good that people share their experiences with each other so we can all help each other.
What a guy!
In one of the stops I made today I read a poem (I've read it before, but it seemed to have extra meaning for me today.) It was a poem written by a mother who has a child with Down's Syndrome but it certainly speaks for all mothers who have children with challenges.
Welcome To Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.
All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.
With the OK from Matthew, I will be sharing more of his story here. I feel that we've been on this road a long time and are now entering a new phase as he enters his adulthood. I hope that in sharing where we've been ... the good, the bad, and the ugly ... we can be of some encouragment to others who are just starting out in this.
Friday, April 18, 2008
BBQ season is finally here!
I saw this posted on a board I frequent.
BBQ RULES
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved. When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand. (or coke, as in our case)
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
BBQ RULES
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved. When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand. (or coke, as in our case)
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Another List
A few of the blogs that I've read today had lists, so I think I'm just going to jump on that bandwagon and share one too (partly because I love lists, and partly because I'm feeling rather lazy and uninspired.)
-Well, I already started it I guess. Lately I've been feeling kinda blah and uninspired by things. I need to give myself a big kick in the pants and put on my big girl panties and just get back on that horse (how's that for a run on cliches?)
-one of my first boards that I ever became part of may be closing in a month or so. I've been on the board for 8 years. It's the end of an era for me.
-I'm really busy (too busy) right now trying to get things ready for the next Scrapbooking Retreat that I run twice a year. This retreat seems to be a lot of work for me, and I'm not really enjoying it anymore so I'm thinking that it's time to pass the torch along to someone else to run.
-Spring is here, finally. The weather is great around here this week. It's so nice to see the neighbourhood come alive again and everyone emerging from their hibernation
-We have grubs! ...and we have racoons that are visiting our lawn everynight and ripping up pieces of sod to get at the grubs. We need to get our lawn sprayed. Unfortunatly we can't use chemicals anymore, so the spray they put down is actually a parasite that attacks the grubs. Ewwww!
-We got a call the other night telling us that our trailer has been broken into. The perps left the door wide open so I'm sure there's water damage inside along with whatever damage the perps left and any critters that came exploring left. We will have to make a trip up there this weekend to check it out.
-I'm spending the day on Saturday with my girls scrapbook shopping and then working on some retreat stuff. We're shopping at the Scrapping Bug. I love that store.
-My local scrapping store is up for sale. Someone I know is wanting to purchase it. I really hope that it works out for her because she could do so much with it.
-A new Scrapbooking store opened up in Oakville. Yay! I haven't checked it out yet, but a friend of mine is working there. It sounds like it will be a great store when it's all set up.
-I participated in an online crop this weekend. I was quite motivated on Saturday to scrapbook and got a few layouts done. Sunday I didn't get anything done as we were busy most of the day.
Here's some of what I've done lately:
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Cameron's Sugar Bush
A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the computer room and looked out the window. Just outside the window is a maple tree. Sticking out of that maple tree was a small white plastic tube. Immediately I wondered what Cameron was up to. Under that tube, in the snow, was a cup that was collecting the sap that was dripping from it. Cameron had his own little "sugar bush" going on. He had decided to try and collect some sap and had tapped three of the young maple trees that are on our property.
After collecting for about three days (and checking it constantly) he had about a third of a 2-litre pop bottle full. He and I went on-line to find out what we needed to know about boiling it down. It took two hours to boil it down and he ended up with about a table spoon on maple syrup (well it was more like candy because we boiled it a little too long). He was so thrilled with the result and made sure that we all had some. ...and you know, it was pretty good.
I love that kid!!
After collecting for about three days (and checking it constantly) he had about a third of a 2-litre pop bottle full. He and I went on-line to find out what we needed to know about boiling it down. It took two hours to boil it down and he ended up with about a table spoon on maple syrup (well it was more like candy because we boiled it a little too long). He was so thrilled with the result and made sure that we all had some. ...and you know, it was pretty good.
I love that kid!!
Friday, April 04, 2008
The finished layout for the deep sea fishing trip
This was a Becky Fleck sketch. I love working with her sketches.
When we were in Florida, John took Cameron out deep sea fishing. Cameron is the only one of the three boys that enjoys the outdoors. He adores fishing and begs us to take him all summer long. 
John told him a couple of days before that they were going and Cameron was so excited. On the morning of the trip, he was up early and packing his bag (with what, I don't know because everything was provided for them.) Somehow he just seemed so grown-up that day.
When I met them at the pier after they returned, he was telling me all the details of the trip, what they used for bait, how they caught the fish, how many he caught, and how he had to fight with the dolphin who were going after the fish that were on the lines.
He caught a lot of fish, but only kept two. (he was sad to tell me that the ones he let go, the dolphin grabbed as soon as they hit the water again.) He was so proud of his catch. He decided to have one cleaned at the pier, and kept the other one to clean himself.
The next day we cooked the fish up for lunch and, even though I'm not a fish eater, I must say that it tasted pretty good.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Hey! Did anyone miss me?
I can't believe that it's been so long since I've posted an update. It seems that March just flew by and I barely had a chance to keep up with emails let along get on here.
So? What did I do in March instead of being here?
-We went to Florida for 10 days when the boys had their March Break. We got out just before the big storm hit. (we planned that perfectly!) We had a great time and I have some pics to share I will try and do that in the next few days.
-Cathy had a PJ crop at her house at the beginning of March. It was for the weekend. I was able to go from Friday night until Saturday night and I was quite successful. I got quite a bit done.
-the week after Florida was a complete blur. We were just so exhausted from the drive home. We drove straight through and it's always a much harder drive than the way down. I think my body was rebelling on me.
-we managed to pick up a pretty bad cold while we were in Florida. It started with John and he was nice enough to share it with Mom and I. Cameron wanted it, so we shared with him. Dad was showing some signs of it before we left, but I don't know if he actually came down with it.
-of course Easter was in there which is always a very busy weekend. Friday we had the services at Church and then we came home and spent the day together. Cameron and I had a lovely afternoon together going to see Horton Hears a Who. He was so much fun to spend time with. It's so nice to be able to relate to him on a more grown-up level and I really appreciate his sence of humor.
-on Saturday of the Easter Weekend Cathy, Don, Jenn, Kevin, James, Jason, and Alyson came over for the afternoon and dinner. We had such a great time together. Matthew was enjoying hanging out with all the adults and did so for most of the time they were here. It was a great day.
-Sunday of Easter was freezing cold. The band went out for the Sonrise Service, but we didn't last that long as everyone's valves were freezing up. After Church we came home and crashed. We ate chocolate all afternoon, and just hung out together. What more could you ask for?
-This past weekend I went to Syracuse, NY for the weekend with a group of girls to scrapbook and shop. I laughed so much. I will share more on that later ... and possibly share some pictures.
-I guess the biggest news of the month is that John has returned to the working world. He is doing some consulting work for a company in Toronto. He's still getting used to getting up and out the door early every morning, but he's enjoying the job and the people he's working with. It's a six-month contract and then he's got something else already lined up for when this contract finishes.
So? What did I do in March instead of being here?
-We went to Florida for 10 days when the boys had their March Break. We got out just before the big storm hit. (we planned that perfectly!) We had a great time and I have some pics to share I will try and do that in the next few days.
-Cathy had a PJ crop at her house at the beginning of March. It was for the weekend. I was able to go from Friday night until Saturday night and I was quite successful. I got quite a bit done.
-the week after Florida was a complete blur. We were just so exhausted from the drive home. We drove straight through and it's always a much harder drive than the way down. I think my body was rebelling on me.
-we managed to pick up a pretty bad cold while we were in Florida. It started with John and he was nice enough to share it with Mom and I. Cameron wanted it, so we shared with him. Dad was showing some signs of it before we left, but I don't know if he actually came down with it.
-of course Easter was in there which is always a very busy weekend. Friday we had the services at Church and then we came home and spent the day together. Cameron and I had a lovely afternoon together going to see Horton Hears a Who. He was so much fun to spend time with. It's so nice to be able to relate to him on a more grown-up level and I really appreciate his sence of humor.
-on Saturday of the Easter Weekend Cathy, Don, Jenn, Kevin, James, Jason, and Alyson came over for the afternoon and dinner. We had such a great time together. Matthew was enjoying hanging out with all the adults and did so for most of the time they were here. It was a great day.
-Sunday of Easter was freezing cold. The band went out for the Sonrise Service, but we didn't last that long as everyone's valves were freezing up. After Church we came home and crashed. We ate chocolate all afternoon, and just hung out together. What more could you ask for?
-This past weekend I went to Syracuse, NY for the weekend with a group of girls to scrapbook and shop. I laughed so much. I will share more on that later ... and possibly share some pictures.
-I guess the biggest news of the month is that John has returned to the working world. He is doing some consulting work for a company in Toronto. He's still getting used to getting up and out the door early every morning, but he's enjoying the job and the people he's working with. It's a six-month contract and then he's got something else already lined up for when this contract finishes.
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