Sparks and Butterflies Sparks and Butterflies Caffeine from above ~ Coffee from below.... I'd sure like some dull! Articles
Sniffle
2009-06-12 19:40:00 I’m taking a short break from the internet (blog, twitter, email) etc. I’m sick as a dog with a nasty cold. See you all next week sometime.
Sniffle
2009-06-12 19:40:00 I’m taking a short break from the internet (blog, twitter, email) etc. I’m sick as a dog with a nasty cold. See you all next week sometime.
Don’t Rattle a Mama Bear’s Cage
2009-06-11 21:03:00 Rather than go through the whole spiel, I’m going to copy an email with identifiers edited. Suffice it to say that we have been dealing with this issue for MONTHS. In those months, poor Joseph has been going downhill. And it might not have been necessary. from: Michele {email} to Dr. Therapist {email} cc Poe {email}, Dr. District date Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 11:49 AM subject Regarding Joseph {last name} Hi Dr. Therapist, Please feel free to forward this email to any administrative personnel who handle such things. I’ve also CC’d my husband and Dr. District with our school district. I write, in all honesty, with some frustration. Skipping details, the point is that everyone involved in Joseph’s case felt that consulting with a psychiatrist, and investigating if medication for anxiety (or anything else) might be appropriate at this stage for Joseph. When the subject was broached, in was basically shut down by {Big Therapy Center}, because it wasn’t par... More About: Mama , Cage , Bear
Hot Cross Buns
2009-06-09 21:53:00 I just got home from a concert of Joseph’s 3rd grade class. Three classes, playing their recorders. I suppose less is more in describing that one. Heh. I’ll be uploading videos onto my YouTube account today maybe. We’ll see. Or maybe Vimeo. Last time I tried YouTube, it hated me. I won’t post it here though - I just want the final product in the clouds as well as on my hard drive. Got a ton of photos to go through as well - need to picnic and flickr those. We still haven’t heard from Poe’s job prospect. They did call and tell him that they haven’t forgotten him, they’re just still thinking about it (they would be adding a whole department just for him.) Understandable. But itchy. El Dinero es nunca. No Money. Going to use a credit card for groceries this week. We don’t use credit anymore, so you know we’re desperate. But, God provides. Faith. I’m trying to. I keep trying to refocus my thoughts on God... More About: Cross
Monday Catch All
2009-06-08 15:00:00 Just the Monday Catch Up on my other gigs: I did a book review on a book called Emergency by Neil Strauss. The Capri-Sun $250 gift card giveaway is still going strong until 7/8.
Quotables
2009-06-02 15:00:00 “Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” —Epictetus “Easier said than done.” —Me
Pins and Needles
2009-06-01 19:13:00 Oy. Poe is up for a job. This is GOOD. He had a pre-interview over the phone. Went well. Went in for an actual interview. Went great. Now they’ve asked for a portfolio - anything that can be sent at all? You see Poe had his portfolio of personal drawings stolen. And all his work for companies has been company intellectual property. So, we cobbled some stuff together and sent it (along with the explanation.) In addition we found some online galleries with the locations clearly labeled so Poe knew what was HIS previous work, and we were able to pass that on as well. I think they really want him. But they’ve never gone into this computer thing before, they’ve only done hand drawn. And the software as well as other components are about $10,000. That does not include the cost of Poe himself. So, I think they’re trying to justify the cost of going this route in the first place, not to mention Poe himself. ARG! Worst is, we still don’t know any... More About: Pins
My husband should be sainted
2009-05-28 07:15:00 Today we got one of those phone calls. The kind that usually come in the middle of the night scaring you half to death. Apparently my dad fell, and was asking for Poe to come help him. OK, fine. So, Poe went to help. Apparently he had fallen outside while working. Badly. Seriously hit his head (blood,) arm (more blood,) knees (even more blood,) - oh and his arm hurt. Like too much. Poe decided he was going to the hospital. And my father said yes. Coming from a man who treats cuts that absolutely should be sutured with crazy glue, this meant it was serious. Poe called me to let me know what was going on. Of course, I gave him the litany - ID, medical card, medications and dosages - and then made sure my mother didn’t need me there. My dad takes care of her - from food to meds to testing her blood glucose. She said she was fine and would call me if necessary. I was on kid duty, with another pickup coming and the homework. While that sounds banal while my father was ... More About: Husband
Monday Updates
2009-05-18 15:00:00 So, it’s Monday , which means it’s time to update you on ME around the web. You already know about this one. But I’m mentioning it anyway because HELLO! I was on CNN. Article up at Special Needs Bliss, Advocate - Enough Said. A bit of a rant, cleaned up for non-personal blogness. Another article up at Special Needs Bliss, How to Find Special Needs Programs. The $250 Giftcard Giveaway for Capri-Sun Sunrise is still going strong over at Butterviews! The deadline isn’t until July, so be sure to enter if you haven’t already. More About: Updates
An Ode to My Husband
2009-05-15 18:45:00 Our wedding anniversary was last month. I never wrote a post - to say it has been weird and crazy around here is an understatement. We’ve been married 11 years. We made it past a decade! Lots of pictures, past the jump. This man is the love of my life. He makes me mad. He makes me crazy. He makes me love. He made me a mom. He makes me laugh. He’s man enough to wear duckie pajamas. Out. In public. He loves his kid enough to help out at baseball. Every game. Every practice. This man makes this very serious woman be silly too. This man doesn’t bat an eyelash when I go and do things like this. We were so very young. We didn’t know what we were doing, or what we were getting ourselves into. Or really what being a grownup even meant. But we knew for certain, without a doubt, that we were meant to be together. I love you. I always will. I think I have since I was born. More About: Husband
Tragic
2009-05-12 02:25:00 I am no photographer. I’m just not. However, I like documenting certain things in my life, for our family, and also for this journal. Hence, a digital camera is particularly useful. You know… Birthday cakes as well as that strange man running down the street in the leopard underwear. Alas, at Joseph’s last baseball game, I managed to kick over my soda straight into my bag. Straight into a pocket in said bag. The said bag is made of something waterproof, and I therefore made a lake of soda in that one pocket. The one holding both my digital camera, as well as Poe’s cell phone. The phone is dead as a doornail dead. His account was up for an upgrade, though, and we replaced it with a minor fee. The camera, my friends, is also dead. I have no idea when I’ll have the funds to replace it, considering our current situation. And to add insult to injury, I’ve misplaced our Flip. I know it’s here somewhere. With movies from our beach tri... More About: Tragic
CNN Interview: Mothers as Breadwinners
2009-05-10 08:50:00 And I didn’t say “Dude” once! Embedded video from CNN Video More About: Interview , Mothers
Watch me on CNN
2009-05-09 03:21:00 Update: Now will be at 12:10/3:10 As I type this, I’m so nervous my hands are sweating. I will be on CNN tomorrow. Tomorrow. As in… Tomorrow. I’ll be on satellite with Fredricka Whitfield (CNN Weekend afternoon anchor) and Suzanne Riss from Working Mother Magazine. The gist of the story is the challenges and benefits of working from home, and also turning into the breadwinner of the family (since Poe lost his job.) I got a broadcast from Hire My Mom, and answered it. And this came of it. Wow. SO. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 9th at 12:15 pacific, 3:15 eastern. Wish me luck. And hopes that I don’t choke, get the hiccups or talk like a valley girl. And that I don’t make a complete ass out of myself. It’s a big coup for Vineyard, and I don’t want to screw that up. If you have advice - PLEASE SHARE IT. HALP NEEDED. AND PERHAPS XANAX. More About: Watch
Paperwork Schmaperwork
2009-05-06 22:50:00 Red tape sucks. Bureaucracy sucks. Add special needs, parents, and other acronyms like IEP and AB3632 to the mix, and it’s frankly mind boggling. Perturbing. Chap burning. Joseph’s therapist came to see Poe and I. At our house. Sans Joseph. May I repeat - HOUSE CALL. Which is exactly what she should have done. There was some miscommunication in terms of Joseph’s care - instructions that left Poe and I’s cartoon characters with little “WTF?!” over our heads. She needed to clean up the mess. I understand everything much better now. Let me correct that statement. I knew EXACTLY what was going on, and I just had it confirmed. M.O.N.E.Y. Speaks volumes when comparing, “Of course we’ll get you in for a consult” and, “We no longer meet the standard of care for this patient.” Standard of care my ass. BUT. Once I usher along the people who need to take care of proper paperwork, we’ll be all set, I think. ...
Odds and Ends
2009-05-04 23:45:00 I realize that I’m not very prolific as of late. That’s because nothing is happening that seems worth mentioning. And I’m tired. And my husband is still unemployed. And Joseph’s mental care is taking a toll that I just do not want to get into at the moment. And everyone’s going to die from Mexican Swine H1N1 flu! I’m just floundering a bit. And how many times can one say “did laundry, did dishes, picked up kids, Poe still unemployed”? I don’t want to be boring and have no pressing urge to be heard. Yes, there’s stuff going on with Joseph, but I find it so emotionally draining that I simply don’t want to rehash it again - even for my own journal. That said… Here’s a point to other things I’ve done in the last week. The contest for the $250 Visa gift card is till going! I have a post up at Blissfully Domestic - Adaptive Clothing. Don’t give up on me. More About: Odds , Ends
$250 Visa Card Giveaway
2009-04-30 17:55:00 Hi all - just a quick blurb… To send you somewhere else. Capri-Sun Sunrise is giving away a $250 giftcard on my review site. So don’t enter here! Click over to the entry to enter. You’ll have to work in your comment. I want to know your morning “issues.” And Good Luck! More About: Card , Visa
Love Gets Annoyed
2009-04-23 21:49:00 Poe and I have been sniping. Or maybe just I have been sniping. When couples are together for a long time, they learn everything about each other. We recently celebrated our 11th anniversary. That’s a long time. And I’ve discovered something. Normally, I am very good about keeping completely menial gripes to myself. Certain things just don’t matter, and there’s no reason to bring them up. Like socks balled up in the dirty clothes. It bugs me. Before, I was always able to just let it go. Who cares? Why pick a fight over socks of all things? But now? It’s becoming a lot harder not to gripe. And the reason is simple. He’s always here. We’re always together. We do everything together. 24/7. All of this togetherness is driving me up a freakin’ wall. We’re trying to find him a job. That’s a totally different issue - market’s horrible, and we’re doing the best we can. But on the other hand, it&rsquo... More About: Love
Rough Seas
2009-04-20 19:42:00 It’s rough right now. I don’t deny it. Cobra sucks. Sucks the life right outta you. For example. The bill I JUST received is about $1500. Except that was for March and April. Which means that our insurance thinks we’re still uninsured, because they require ANOTHER 30 days to process. It’s all a stupid pay out of pocket and someday get paid back system. Plus, we qualify for a 65% reduction per the recovery act. Great! Good luck applying for it. The application notice says to do it online. Online it says to mail it. I’ve been on hold for the last hour (currently on speaker phone hold as I write) for 45 minutes. And counting. I wanted to get Poe’s teeth fixed in preparation for potential interviews. Except I can’t find a dentist on our insurance, because according to them we’re not insured, and therefore can’t use the “find a dentist” feature. Except that I paid premiums for the last 2 months. I.hate.this.... More About: Seas
Ms. Maddie
2009-04-14 17:42:00 The background here has been purpleized. So has my twitter background. It will remain that way for the rest of April. In honor of Maddie . Today… I’ll be making my way to a chapel where a mom and dad say goodbye to their little girl. There are no words. Not because I can’t express them, but because there simply aren’t any. There is no turn of phrase or sentence to encompass what the loss of a child is. So. I’ll go. I’ll wear purple. I’ll lend my presence in support of these parents. I’ll say goodbye to a little girl that I never met, but who’s eyes have enchanted me for the last year. I’ll say I’m sorry to her mother, who I work with. I’ll cry. I’ll mean it. I’ll be there for the little girl’s mom in the coming year. Goodbye Maddie. You are loved. You are missed.
Feeling Sad and Restless
2009-04-13 17:35:00 Things are feeling a little out of control for me. Honestly part of it is my house. Because of the lack of employment around here there are people here. Always. And the house shows it. And when my surroundings are disorganized so is my head. I’m restless. I’m in limbo. And I hate that. And I’m sad. There have been two child deaths in the last week. Maddie Spohr from The Spohrs are Multiplying, and Thalon Myers from Gorillabuns. Just babies. Little babies. Gone. I work with Maddie’s mom, Heather, on Blog Nosh and will be attending her services tomorrow. I never knew about Gorrilabuns until today. On the one hand I’m just so saddened for these families. For these mothers. Moms. Families. Torn and hurt. On the other hand, I feel a strange sense of foreboding. I suppose that’s normal. Normal to be afraid of the dark. Helplessness. You want to help, but only have platitudes at your disposal. I’ve done what I can. It&rsqu... More About: Restless , Feeling
Monday Rundown
2009-04-13 17:25:00 I’ve decided on Monday ’s to do a basic rundown of what I’ve done online in the previous week, if anything, so I’m not pointing it all out every entry, but I’m still letting you know what’s going on for me. I landed a ghostwriting gig for parts of an ebook that’s WoW related, so that’s kind of cool. I’m done with the project, but that may lead to a WoW blogging position. I highlighted Yom Kippur Reflections on Blog Nosh. Anna T. is a sweet soul, and I was excited to be able to highlight a mainly unknown blogger. I highlighted Haagen-Dazs Five on Butterviews. Not a product review per se, but the one tried is damn good. I highlighted the Hunger Pledge on Butterviews. They were my sponsor for SxSW. A very good cause, with many ways to contribute - and not all financial. I reviewed Yanni Voices for the One2One Network on Butterviews. I reviewed the Ballas Hough Band for the One2One Network on Butterviews. More About: Rundown
Thank You for Your Support
2009-04-03 17:16:00 Thank you so much for all your comments on that last post. It’s hard and you get that and know what I’m talking about. And there were no trolls or judgment. Thank you for that. As far as that situation goes, we had his therapist come to the house and they took a walk. He’s fine now. Of course - he released it all. We are definitely having him evaluated for anti-anxiety medication though. We’ve been dealing with all of this since his birth, but with doctors and all involved we’ve been dealing with it for 4 years. This is the first time we’ve felt that medication might be appropriate for him. It’s a scary step for us. Spring break is next week, a much needed break for us all. I say, starting the week after next, we all get a do-over. More About: Support
Special Needs Parenting Sucks
2009-04-01 17:55:00 Disclaimer: I love my boys. I love both of them with all my heart and soul. That being said… I HATE being a special needs parent. I hate dealing with their issues. I hate how it drains me after an incident. I hate the feeling of helplessness as I watch my son fall under the influence of his anger. I hate all the appointments. I hate all of it. All of it. Joseph is coming to an age where I need to start censoring what I write here. So I’ll just say he had one of his worst incidents yesterday. This part I can say: It resulted in a phone call while Logan, Poe, and I were at the grocery store with a full cart. Okay fine - Poe will go and leave me at the store, I’ll finish up, and he’ll come back when he’s done. Logan and I finish out shopping. We’re checking out when we get another call. I ignore it, mainly because I’m checking out, and I don’t want to be one of THOSE people. Immediately I get another call, so I take it. C... More About: Parenting , Special , Sucks , Special Needs
Another Item Off My List
2009-03-31 01:48:00 I pinked my hair. A stripe. Pink. Want proof? I love it. More About: List , Item
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
2009-03-20 17:23:00 Just a little bit of a head’s up for you the reader. And can I just say thank you, first? There are a couple of you who are faithful commenters, and I thank you for reminding me that I am not alone in the world, and perhaps not so weird. I appreciate that, I appreciate you. Thank you. Anyway - I’m going to be changing the site’s look a little bit. I don’t know when. But soon, hopefully. But it just doesn’t feel like me anymore, and I’m changing things to be more me. In a lot of areas. So, if it looks different at some point - don’t worry - I’m still here. I’ve added a list to the right hand side bar. The list will change and morph as I decide on new things to add. There is no timeline to it. There is no deadline. It’s not a list of things to accomplish before the year ends. They are just things I want to figure out and do. And once they’re done, or habits become habits, they’ll be cro...
Perspective
2009-03-20 16:43:00 Logan's Missing Front Tooth For all my recent cynical ramblings - nothing’s cuter than a 6 year old with a missing front tooth. More About: Perspective
Is this a midlife crises?
2009-03-16 02:51:00 A funny thing happened to me when I went on this trip. I think I found myself. I know that sounds strange. But I was at a place where I didn’t feel I belonged. And some things happened that made me question myself. My actual self worth. My identity. My worthiness and significance. You see I feel certain in my place in the afterlife. I know where I’m going. I know where my faith lies. But it has always been incredibly difficult to translate that into my fleshly life here on earth… My actual day to day who I am kind of life. There are a few definites for me that I know without question. I am to be, and want to be, a loving, honest, humble, helpful, resourceful wife to my husband. He is to be the same to me. I am to be a mother to my children, who teaches, corrects, meets earthly needs, leads, and loves, hugs, and kisses. I am to attempt to forward my relationship with God. That’s where all the certainty ends though, you see. The other, seemingly... More About: Midlife , Crises
Out to Lunch. In Austin.
2009-03-14 05:57:00 On a bit of a trip. I’ll be writing about it over here. More About: Lunch , Austin
Fitting Pieces Together
2009-03-11 15:32:00 I dropped a bomb and dissappeared. Mainly, I just needed to process. On the blogging front, I’m headed to SXSW this weekend, and I’ll be writing about it eventually at Butterviews. I feel like I should have backed out considering I have to pay for food - and I just dipped into the student loan payment for groceries this week. But. My sponsors took care of the big costs, and both my parents and Poe said that I need to get my business cards out there and mingle. They’re right. It just seems like the wrong time to go. Not to mention I’ll have a roommate. A perfectly nice stranger. I know of her, but have never met her. The problem lying in the fact that I’ve never ever had a hotel roommate before. My neurosis is worried. I haven’t had the time to write at Blissfully Domestic or edit at Blog Nosh. I’m afraid my bosses are going to drop me. I was on a conference call yesterday with Maria Shriver in regards to the We Connec... More About: Pieces
Welcome to the Economy
More articles from this author:2009-02-26 01:45:00 Three posts in one day. That may be a record. Announcement: My husband, Poe as you know him here, came home today with his box of belongings in hand. Yes, he was laid off. No, there was no inkling ahead of time at all. That makes two unemployed people in the household. There have been tears. I feel myself going into fix it super project assistant mode (cue superhero theme music.) Which is good - I’m good in a crisis. But seeing as this here is my journal it seems only fair that I warn you that whining may be ahead. Also ahead, posting of Poe’s resume (hey - you never know!) and upping the marketing of Vineyard Virtual Services as well. Please be patient with me. And maybe gentle and kind as well. Things are a little raw. There’s the money, yes. But well - money’s money. The more stressful tidbit is that we have a heart patient who will have surgery in the house (Logan) and no medical insurance as of today. The ax came down hard. It s... More About: Economy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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