Here we go again...

Long time no post!

So many things have been happening in the last few months and I am excited to tell you all about it! First things first - ROMAN HAS AUTISM SERVICES AGAIN! Starbucks announced in early April that they have lifted the seven year age restriction for autism services. Unfortunately this is only Premera Blue Cross through Starbucks. My good friend and sister in mothering a child with autism also has Premera Blue Cross but she is still battling to get her son services. So it's a bittersweet victory, but something I am immensely grateful for.

I am also trying to give myself permission to be human. Being human is being imperfect. I haven't kept up on scrapbooking. I stopped doing Project Life this year starting in January. And I haven't posted my finished my December Daily pictures to my blog. I was talking to my friend about this, saying how bad I felt for not keeping up with everything. She said something that really hit home.

 

"You are not Ali Edwards. You don't have staff."

She was right. I don't have staff. I homeschool. We drive to autism therapies three days a week and our homeschool group the other two days. I cook. I clean. I do laundry. I go grocery shopping. I work part-time. Scrapbooking isn't my job.

I am human. And that's okay.

Most recently I've been trying to listen to my body. About what my body needs. I've been ignoring something for a really, really long time. My body hates dairy. Let me get one thing straight, I am addicted to dairy. I can drink a gallon of milk in two days. If given the opportunity I'll eat an entire block of cheese. But it wasn't until cutting it completely out that I realized what it does to me. My intense cravings stopped. They completely stopped. I eat, get full and don't want food for a good four hours. Whereas before, I would eat large quantities and then two hours later, be ravenous for more. My chronic fatigue decreased significantly.

So we'll see how it goes! Right now I'm doing just fine. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables and they actually satisfy my hunger, something that has never, ever happened before.

So in a nutshell, we are doing great. And I have more opportunities for "me" time on Tuesdays and Thursdays during my son's homeschool group. So more posts and updates are coming soon! Stay tuned!

I am back

First of all, I apologize for the extremely HUGE gap in posts, things have been a bit crazy around here lately.

Roman has been increasingly difficult lately, it is still super hard for him to transition between activities, even with his chart and giving a "count down" (five more minutes until we do this). There are many other things going on, almost too many to remember right now. Its been almost a constant battle for the last couple of months.

I am feeling better now, but I struggled with depression for a few weeks. I know that Moms of special needs kiddos can relate with me on this one. It is really hard sometimes.

We are having him tested for Autism again coming up here soon, he was tested at about 18 months and it didn't look like that was the case, but so many things have changed since then. That wouldn't change anything on our end, he would still get the care he needs through private therapy and through the school district. But it may open some doors for more resources for him, which is so, so important! He is such a great kid and we really want the best for him.

But I am now back! I buried myself in creative work when my husband came home (a saving grace for me, truly) and I have a super fun project for December! I am working on my post right now with all the details. Stay posted!

one word

Got this from my friend Christine's blog...you can only use one word to answer each question.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse? (question mark because I really don't know, I always lose it)
2. Your hair? ponytail
3. Your mother? loving
4. Your father? thoughtful
5. Your fave food? Curry
6. Your dream last night? Bizarre
7. Your fave drink? Latte
8. Your dream/goal? Authenticity
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Creating
11. Your fear? Loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Motherhood again
13. Where you were last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Bold
15. Muffins? Yes.
16. Wish List Item? Lenses (camera lenses)
17. Where did you grow up? Washington
18. Last thing you did? iTunes
19. What are you wearing? Comfy
20. Your TV? Roseanne
21. Your Pets? Playing
22. Friends? Necessary
23. Your Life? Blessed
24. Your Mood? Tired
25. Missing Someone? Nope.
26. Vehicle? Odyssey
27. Something your not wearing? Shoes
28. Your fave store? Amazon.com
29. Your fave color? Green
30. Last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Tuesday-ish
32. Your best friend? Zach
33. One place that I go to over and over? PCC
34. One person who emails regularly? Customers =0)
35. Fave place to eat? Indian

new book on my nightstand

I am now reading It's a Boy!, a book that I bought a couple of years ago but just haven't picked it up.


It was recommended to me by my sister and I also remember someone coming to our MOPS group a few years ago that talked about this book.  I remember really liking this guy (was he the author?  I don't remember unfortunately), he talked about the importance of mothering and the bond between mother and child and how it is crucial for development.  Awesome stuff. 

Our little boy is four so I have quite a bit of catching up to do (I just started the "toddler" section LOL), so far it is really interesting - makes me happy to be a mother of a boy.  I actually really wanted a boy, I played with boy-oriented toys when I was a kiddo (dinosaurs, transformers, gobots, etc.) and I actually had more guy friends growing up than girl friends.

We're still planning on having another kiddo and I would love to have another boy. Part of me would love the challenge of raising a little girl too, what an opportunity that would be. Raising a girl in today's society that has confidence and self esteem (something I lacked severely growing up). We'll be incredibly happy with whatever we are blessed with. And we're not in any hurry right now to have another child. Although many of our friends and family have children fairly close together, we wouldn't be concerned if our children are several years apart. It's what works for our family.

On another note, I WILL be resuming my Template Tuesday to Thursday give away, I absolutely promise! I missed the month of October so this month I will be giving away two....count 'em two templates/banners, whatever you like! And I have also decided that you can either take a freebie or get ten dollars off a Webset, eBay store design or Selling Blog Template too.

On yet another note (yes I really am that random), I will be unveiling my 2010 signature design really early this year....like hopefully this evening early (but probably tomorrow). The reason? I am really tired of my current design to be completely honest (LOL) and I also wanted to have a separate button so customers can purchase a selling blog template instead of having the hassle of purchasing a regular blog template and then purchasing the add-on. Here is a sneak peek....
More to come soon!

happy birthday to me

I am official 32 years old as of yesterday. And I couldn't be happier about it. My 20's were all about establishing myself, getting married and having one of two kiddos. My 30's are all about my family and finding my real joys in life. Did I ever think that I would be an at-home Mom with a graphic design business? No. But it is the best job I could ever have. Being a Mom is....amazing. Truly the best thing in the world. Being a Mom and having amazing creative outlets? I couldn't ask for more.

Speaking of creative outlets....I was given the most amazing birthday present ever. In the history of birthday presents. A present that will span many birthdays and a Christmas or two. Or three. Or four. This is a Canon Digital Rebel SLR T1i. 15.1 megapixels. 3 frames per second. Amazing camera. I should say that I am the unofficial family photo historian in the family. I have our family history scrapbooked to the mid 1800's. I scrapbook almost every single day and take a ton of pictures.

I realized about two years ago that I had some major limitations with a point and shoot - camera shake was a huge one. I don't like using the flash, I love the look of natural light pictures. But my pictures always turned out blurry. That and I needed a higher mega pixel, I use a lot of 12x12 and above pictures in my layouts. Here is my first layout from my new camera featuring a 9x14 photo: The picture is clear, crisp and I didn't have to stretch the photo to fit. When I think about the amazing pictures I can take from here on out, I almost hyperventilate I get so excited. I am one deliriously happy girl.

things I am grateful for today...

its almost fall

I have access to delicious organic fruits and veggies

I'm a mom of an amazing little boy

I have the power to learn

I have a husband that supports me and lets me know when I'm a bit too crazy

creative outlets

the ability to live a more authentic life

simplicity

being conscious about what matters most

coffee

my crazy creative life