(Steven Depolo)

Ugh,

Where to begin, I have a sick little one today. She began to cough yesterday morning and it didn’t seem like much but as the day progressed it got worse. It always gets worse doesn’t it? I mean come on. This poor little girl just got over having a pretty bad stint with Strep-Throat.

She missed school yesterday because she had a feverbug and was coughing. (I won’t send my kids to school with a fever because I am just not an asshole like that. I know plenty of parents that will send sick kids to school and it pisses me off because when my kids get sick they get REALLY sick. Ass-hat parents SMH ) By last night around 9 PM she was coughing so bad it sounded like croup. She was soooo miserable, (we were too) that my awesome hubs went and got her, put her in our bed and then slept on the couch so that she was able to get some good sleep and I would be there to help her.

My poor middle one has been sick for weeks with adenoid troubles, and her doctor says there is nothing wrong with them…….. UGH Seriously????? They are so swollen that she can hardly eat.

I really wish people would take as much care of their kids and not going out in public when ill, so that kids don’t get sick like this. I think the both got sick originally from an outing when we went grocery shopping.

I understand that people sometimes have to go out when ill, but there seems to be this reoccurring theme that coughing on people in public and going out sick is just plain normal. Well to those that do that, YOU ARE ASSHOLES!!!

Don’t be an asshole, if you’re sick stay home. Don’t go wondering around the grocery store, don’t go to church, don’t cough on people, don’t touch anything. In short, don’t be an asshole.

Thanks

The post Sick kids suck! first appeared on SKFoxy.

I almost as an American cannot fathom what is going on with some of these international civil wars. Seeing some of the autocities that are going on overseas its hard to complain about anything going on here.

Things people complain about here are things such as,

• The president not being an American -get over it already, I mean, we survived 8 years with Bush you will survive the last of Obama’s term.
• Gun Rights – This is something that I am passionate about, I don’t think that the government is going to take away our guns or our gun rights so its time for people to move on. If you don’t like having to have a background check to buy a gun, then you probably don’t need one. I love and appreciate having our 2nd ammendment rights. We aren’t going to lose them.
• Military Funding – yes we need to fund our military, simple as that. Lose the military, lose our rights. Lets not have to live thru the movie of Red Dawn.
• Obamacare – woah, hey now, lets leave the millions of Americans uninsured because it makes some of the Tea-Party mad. Get over yourselves. Now I do think that there are things to be tweaked and fixed but fundamentally its a good idea.
• Gay Marriage – Seriously? Why are we fighting about this? It is so stupid. Who CARES!!!! If you think that two people getting married is going to negatively affect you to the point that you think it should be banned? Maybe you are the problem, not them.

Here are things that the people across the world are complaining about and fighting for

• Food
• Access to the internet and information
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom to life
• The ability to ELECT their government
• Housing
• Jobs that pay more than $5-10 a week

They are fighting for things that we take for granted. I know that our country isn’t perfect but there seems to be a serious disconnect between what we have and take for granted vrs what we really need and fundamentally deserve as human beings.

The post World in Chaos first appeared on SKFoxy.

1) Kids will be kids.

You can get mad at them for being kids but that only punishes you. Kids yell, make messes, don’t listen and can just be straight-up obtuse.  Yelling at your kids only makes you feel bad later. Try talking to your kids on their level. Not all kids respond to just talking, however for the most part they are just trying to get your attention for something. Positive or negative they will get the attention that they need. You however get to decide how you are going to deal with it.

2) Family First

Friends are awesome, and I don’t know where I would be in this life without them. That being said I have to say that my husband and kids come first. I know that it has been hard for some of my friends to accept because I am not able to go and do the things that I used to. Doesn’t mean that I don’t love and care about them like I used to. People grow up, or they are supposed to anyway.

3) Kids are expensive!!

Kids are so darned expensive. New clothes, because they hit a growth spurt, after school activities, and everything else that they need on a daily basis. My kids are currently doing Karate (doing very well at it, enjoying it, and I love every min of it as do they) I am a mother to an Orange Belt as well as a brand new littlest White Belt.  Alex’s first Tournament is in Feb. STOKED!! Okay I digressed, but they are awesome and expensive little critters.

4) Everyone needs something.

Everyone needs something that makes them happy in their lives. Even if it seems trivial, everyone needs something that makes them feel complete and like an individual. For me, its working out, and getting to watch General Hospital while the kids are at school. (I know its small and seems stupid probably, but it’s great for me) My husband has his daily trips to 7/11 (Since he works from home, its the only time he gets out of the house)

5) Make time for your partner/spouse

You don’t have spend every waking moment together, but you should try to make some time for eachother. Even if it is just watching a show or movie together at least 3 times a week cuddling on the couch. I think that having a date night is important for parents and couples as well but lets face it. Not everyone can get out once a week or even once a month. (I know that we can’t) There are things that we can do to keep things going at home. Spending some quiet time together after the kids go to bed, cuddling, sex of course. However, if you want it to work, take time to at least say I love you.

6) People change after kids

So many people wonder why parents can’t just jump on a plane and go away like they used to. Others think their kidless friends are suddenly assholes and stop working on those relationships. Take the time to make a phone call, write an email, even poke them on facebook if needed. Just let them know that you are still there and want to be friends. There is always an adjustment period, after kids, after a break-up, after getting married, just about everything requires an adjustment of some sort. Be Patient with your family and friends. No one knows what you are going thru unless you tell them.

7) Be informed

I can’t stress how important being informed is. Be informed about how your kids are doing in school, how your spouse is doing at work, what is going on in the lives of your loved ones. I wish people would be more informed about things in general, but if you can’t manage to be caught up on world affairs then at the very least know what’s going on in your own home. So many things can be prevented if you just know what is going on with the people that you love.

8) Family doesn’t have to be blood

I have learned the hard way that sometimes your family won’t be blood related to you, blood does not create some bond that cannot be broken. Trust does. If you have people in your life that are toxic get rid of them in your life. You don’t need that. No one does, its not easy, feelings will get hurt. But wouldn’t you rather live a happy and fulfilled life with out that one person that always makes you feel so toxic that you could throw up?

9) Let it go……

You have to let go of your ego. Not everyone is perfect. I know that I am not. I know that I will never be perfect, but I can be a better version of me than I was yesterday. I recognize that people say and do dumb things when they are angry, frustrated, scared, or just plain upset with life. Most of the time its not about you or even what you’re actually talking about. There is something else. So when someone says something insensitive to you and you’re upset. Let some of that go. Anger and resentment, doesn’t hurt the other person. It only hurts you. Sometimes you can’t change their attitude, or their point of view but you can change how you react to it.

10) Pick your battles

If it is something that you are really passionate about then, feel free to argue your point to your hearts content, but if in the grand scheme it is something that isn’t that big of a deal, then I would say just let it go for now. Make sure that when you are calm and can rationally talk about what hurt your feelings or made you so upset then do it then. Just remember, “Never go to bed mad” you never know if tomorrow will come.

The post 10 Truths I have learned about Family and Kids first appeared on SKFoxy.

The post Blogs blogs blogs first appeared on SKFoxy.

Three years ago on June 4th this sweet little 7 year old went missing. I firmly believe that his step mom had something to do with it, But there isn’t enough evidence to do anything with her that hasn’t already been done. This little boy went missing from Portland, Oregon at his elementary school.

His poor family is in such turmoil about this missing child. I know that most Oregonians have heard this story before. However I think its important that we keep the conversation going.  Where did Kyron go? Did his step mother hurt him? She wrote tons of emails that she disliked and even hated Kyron. It seems like it is a distinct possibility she hurt him.

There is just so much wrong in this situation. I can only hope that this child is brought home in one way or another. WE NEED TO FIND THIS CHILD!!!

If you have any information please call  (503)261-2847

You can find more information about Kyron and his family and the search at http://www.bringkyronhome.org/

The post Kyron Horman first appeared on SKFoxy.

My youngest child is having some pretty severe anxiety issues. She has wet her pants once in school and once this morning on the couch. I feel really for her. I think that she is super stressed with school, and her sister going back to stay with her mom. She stayed with us for the summer, and then she went to her moms house for the school year. She comes to visit every other weekend and we see her during the week but it has been really hard for little Miss Brinley. She is so sensitive to Caitlin coming and going. Then skipping a grade and being behind quite a bit and trying to catch up with everything. I think that its harder for me than her almost. Not to diminish what she is going thru because it is really hard on her. I just want her to be okay. I feel like I am sitting here worrying about if she is going to be okay emotionally, and oh so many other scenarios that are playing over in my head. I am so sad for her. She also has anxiety medications but they put her to sleep. I am at kind of a loss because I don’t want her to fall asleep in class so I cut one into a 1/4 and tried that this morning to see if that helps her in school today. I just want her to succeed so bad. I don’t care what she does I just want her to succeed at it.

My oldest is having some emotional distress issues regarding to his ASD and we are going to counselling appointments. Things are crazy. His medications are being changed and he I hope will be on a better path do manage his anger and frustration. So that Brinley and Alex can have as good of a relationship as siblings as Brinley and Caitlin. Alex wants to be close to his sisters and Brinley wants to be close to her brother, but I feel like until we get Alex’s emotions a little more under control.

I am just so sad for my children because I want them to be happy and successful in life. I feel like I don’t quite know how to help them completely. I am doing everything that I can, physically, and emotionally to help them as much as possible.

ARRGG!!

Why can’t this be simpler? I want to make sure that she is happy and healthy. Sending her back to Kinder is an option but how do I do that without hurting her even more? I don’t know what to do. I feel kinda sick about the entire thing. She knows that she is a 1st grader and then to take that away from her seems cruel. But is leaving her in 1st grade where she isn’t doing very well (because of anxiety) just as bad? I am afraid that we will have the same issues next year as well, just because she is such a mama’s girl. I think some of it may also be just separation anxiety I know that I am feeling it and I can tell that she is too.

The post Things to think about….. first appeared on SKFoxy.

Thankfully Alex was sitting there with me and he bailed to go get some paper towels for her to chomp down on. It didn’t take long and she was feeling much better going up to tell dad allllll about it. She was quite put out over the whole situation.

Suddenly tho she remembered about the Tooth Fairy. That helped for sure. She has two other loose teeth as well. The top two are going to go at anytime. Poor kids isn’t going to have any teeth. Oh well, its part of being 5 and a rite of passage.

The post Loose teeth! first appeared on SKFoxy.

Toby is such a sweet and loving dog that all the kids want to pet him. He loves the attention. However when Brinley goes to her class he gets a little upset because she is leaving with out us. I don’t blame him I feel that way too. She turns and gives a quick wave and then she is gone in the sea of children. It is a bitter sweet moment every single day.

In the afternoon Toby sits and waits patiently for his kid to come out of school, thankfully she is one of the first out as she is a first grader. Once they see each other it is so sweet. He continues to sit there patiently until she has said her good byes to her friends and her teacher. Then we walk the half mile home.

This morning tho I was really impressed. Toby was sitting and awaiting while the kids took turns to pet him. Like always just sitting there and soaking up the attention from kids (they are his favorite). Today I was more impressed with the children. They all took turns as to not overwhelm Toby and three of the children remembered that he would be there and brought him dog treats. I couldn’t believe that this early into the year that Toby would be so important to the kids at the school. They each ask if he will be there in the afternoon. I can generally with out fail tell them that he will be there.

This morning Toby was recognized by the principal and given some petting. Then he looked at Toby and told him to keep up the good work. I am glad that our family dog can bring some joy to the other students at the elementary school. His walking to school is doing more than just exercise as we walk a total of a mile back and forth twice a day. So we are getting our 2 mile walk in (which exhausts him and me) But he is also making kids smile which is a great feeling.

Here is a pic taken this morning on the way to school.

The post Toby, the big hit of Elementary School first appeared on SKFoxy.

This weekend was fairly uneventful, I was exhausted Friday evening after all the worry about my daughters meeting with her teacher. That went fairly well. I mean as well as can be expected. She went from being the top of her class of Kindergartners to kinda the bottom of her first grade class. Well she is young and needs some extra help learning how to use scissors and to cut on the lines. I feel bad about her not really knowing how to use them because it wasn’t ever something that I allowed my kids to do. With her older brother being an autist it wasn’t something that was allowed. It was dangerous for him and everyone else for there to be access even monitored to scissors. But we worked on it Saturday and she improved majorly!! I was proud. I drew a bunch of shapes and had her cut them out and showed her how to hold the scissors properly etc and she caught on quickly. Now just to keep practicing that skill and she will have it down pat. YAY!! The other thing was that she didn’t understand what it ment to draw yourself. Well she didn’t realize that they ment draw on the paper what you are wearing etc. So that’s something else that we worked on Saturday.

So as I am sure you have gathered Saturday was spend working on school stuff for Brinley and Caitlin as Alex was at his dads. However Saturday evening Caitlin and I had a blast out shopping for jeans. She is so fun to shop with. She likes playing dress up. But alas we needed school jeans and such, and we finished MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. It took what felt like forever this year getting all the school supplies and school clothes for all three kids but I made it!! Sanity mostly intact.

This afternoon I decided that I was going to make Chicken Pot Pies for dinner. I got the chicken mixture made. (I can’t tell you how much I love my Ninja for dicing veggies, its so easy and fast!!) I got the pie crusts made and put in the freezer for chilling, and tasted the mix again, then had husband taste the mix and we decided that it should be a nice thick soup instead. So I added rice and voila, a yummy thick and hearty dinner. I was thankful to have after a fairly cool day.

Today was kind of impressive. My husband whom is awesome at oh so many things (handyman just not being one of them) he is a software developer and is super handy with all the tech stuff in the house. Which is great, because if I break something like oh my laptop, or bring the home network down by muddling with something that I shouldn’t or by pure accident but most likely pure stupidity. Meh, it happens tho. More often than I would like for it to but it does. Anyways, back to what I was saying. The heater in the bathroom ceiling went out and ugh getting out of the shower in the morning to a cold bathroom SUCKS. After much trial and error trying to figure out which breaker went to the bathroom he got it all torn apart and diagnosed as to what we need to get it fixed. Don’t get me wrong he isn’t helpless when it comes to home repairs, he can handle his own. I was just really impressed that he took it apart and dealt with it while I was getting other things done. Now we at least know whats wrong with it, its just ordering the part and fixing it. That won’t be bad hopefully. I am a little dis-concerned that the entire thing is held together with a hand tightened screw tho…… That seems kind of well, dangerous. I can see it now, the fan/heater falling out of the ceiling and smacking me in the head. No because of him, but just any of them. Now that I know that they are just hanging in there kinda is well unnerving. I will never look at one the same again that’s for sure……

Well now with all of that completed for the weekend, I am totally exhausted. I shouldn’t be but I am. I wish that I had one more day of this weekend to hang out with my kids and husband but alas I don’t. Its time to brace for the busy week ahead for all of us. Doctors appointments, school stuff, homework, and the like. It will all get accomplished in time, just gotta pace myself I suppose and just take it day by day. Well, its time to relax and catch my breath before its time to get what is hopefully a great night of sleep.

The post Why are weekends so short? first appeared on SKFoxy.

It’s just petrifying to get an email like that because I don’t know what I should be worried about. Is it her performance? Her attention? I don’t know its just a strange feeling. I feel like I am being called to the principals office and I am pretty scared to be quite honest. Not really sure how to handle this conversation with the teacher. I know that it will be alright and that the teacher knows that I just want to be updated about how she is doing. But its the feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Does the teacher want to tell me that she is too young, or that she doesn’t want her in her class? ARG. I am just worried and most likely over worried about nothing. Which I am sure I have said already.

This is going to be okay I keep telling myself. Its going to be okay. She is a smart girl and this was the right move for her. I know that, she knows that, I am just stressing over nothing. I hope……………

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