Today it is one month since we moved back to St. Pete. I cannot believe it has already been that long! And except for a few boxes of holiday items, everything that is necessary for daily life has been unpacked. Things have been going fairly well and for the most part, I think the move has been great for all of us, including Cams. I know I am happier, which is pretty important as you know the old saying if Mama ain't happy nobody's happy. And while that definitely rings true in our household, I am still one rung below Miss Cams when it comes to the ladder of happiness. Because it doesn't matter how beautiful the day is, how great your hair looks, or where you're going for dinner that night if Camryn is screaming and pinching everyone in the background. So at our house the saying goes " If Cams aint happy aint nobody happy!" And I have to say that Camryn is a pretty happy little girl, despite all the aggression issues we have. One of the things I love most about Cam is that her bed has two right sides, meaning she never wakes up on the wrong one. I don't care how late she went to bed, or how stuffy her nose is, that girl wakes up with a snap and a laugh and I absolutely love it!! I look forward to going into her room while she's still asleep so that I can put my face in her hair which smells like sweaty maple syrup and hear her giggle. She snaps her fingers and when I ask her "Did you sleep good last night?" she simply repeats the question, which as those of you with Autistic kids know is called echolalia, but I treat it as though she is really asking me and so I answer. Those moments are precious and shortlived, often over before you can say "Ri-Ri" which is the next thing out of her mouth, as she lives for that dog. And after that, forget about it! Riley is at the forefront of her thoughts as she scrambles out of bed to find the dog, pull her whiskers out and let the day begin! And after that, there is no stopping, there is no resting, there is no "Go read a book" or "Go draw a picture", it's just go, go, go until night, with several "No pinching", "No biting" and "No pulling the dogs jowels off!" thrown in. And remember, Cams is not my only child. I also have two other lovely little ladies who want my time and attention and also require adult supervision. During the school year, while the 5 hours left in the day after school lets out can be hard to fill for Cams, it's a cake walk compared to the dreaded seventy-something days of summer hell! A little less than three months of fourteen hour days that need to be filled from morning to night with activities for a child who doesn't "play" with toys, doesn't "play well" with others and doesn't stay seated for more than five minutes at a time? Is it any wonder I can be found waltzing down the school supply aisle at Target in early August, high from the smell of pink rubber erasers and freshly sharpened pencils? You laugh, but spend a summer with Cams and you'll be right alongside me, inhaling the Elmers and grinning ear to ear. So, with that being said, you may ask "Eve, if it is so hard to amuse Camryn during the day, how on earth are you writing this blog right now?" An excellent question! I am writing this blog right now because Camryn it at Camp!!!!! Yes, a camp for kids with Autism. They do exist, though nowhere in Charlotte County, which is why we no longer live there. The main reason for moving back to Pinellas was because of all the resources here. Last week I registered her at Sawgrass Elementary, where she will be in an Autistic Unit for the very first time ever! Another thing Charlotte County does not have. In her last school she was in the Communications Disorder unit, which had wonderful teachers, but was not tailored for her needs. And two days after moving here I signed her up for Camp COAST (Children On the Autism Spectrum Together). I found out about this camp at the Autism Speaks Walk in May. I ended up meeting a woman with a daughter Camryn's age who was on the spectrum (Thanks Tina!!! ) Meeting the mom of an autistic girl doesn't happen often, as the ratio of autism in boys is 3 times higher than in girls. But, alas we met and come to find out my mom and her aunt used to be close friends and I spent much of my childhood with her cousin, teeny tiny world! She told me about the camp and how her daughter was attending. I wiped the drool from the sides of my mouth as she explained all the camp offered. Horseback riding every week, swimming, sailing.... I so wanted to put Camryn in, but we hadn't yet moved and I was sure that is was probably full by then anyhow. At the end of May, when we found where we would be moving to, I decided to torture myself and call Camp Coast to see if by chance there was a spot left. And lo and behold....there was!!!! I was jumping and shouting and flailing my arms in the air. YES!! What did I need to do, when did it start and how much did it cost (not that it mattered, we would take out a loan if need be lol) Lots of paperwork, shot records and doctors approval, June 21st and expensive, but do-able. The only hitch was that each child needed to be accepted, as in the director needs to see their IEP and then calls their teacher and privately discusses that child, their habits and behaviors and whether or not Camp Coast would be a good fit for them. As soon as I heard that I made yet another desperate call to our beloved Ms. Mills. It went something like this..."Ms Mills? Hi it's Eve again. Listen, I have an opportunity to put Camryn in an awesome camp that runs for 7 weeks from 8-3 daily. 8 to 3! Monday through Friday! Seven Weeks!!!! Now, you will be getting a phone call from a "Vicki" wanting to know about Camryn's behavior and if she would be good for this camp so.....Oh, I love you Ms. Mills!!!!" I ddin't have to explain. She knows Cams and loves her as much as the rest of us do, but also knows what a challenge she can be and how good this camp would be for her as well as the rest of the family. She spoke to Vicki and then I had to wait. They spoke Saturday and by Monday night I had heard nothing. Ms. Mills, what did you say? Was your end of year gift not up to par? Was this gonna cost me? Tuesday afternoon I was out couch shopping with my mom. I was mid-sentence with a sales person when my cell rang. It was Vicki! Camryn had been accepted!!!!! Ms Mills came through! Now, the next step was registering. And it was on a first come basis. Acceptance does not guarantee a spot. Money does. I was in St. Pete and needed to be in Clearwater to register her. I hung up, told saleslady Sue love the couch but gotta go and sped up to register Cams. She got in and so far it has been wonderful!!! When Vicki was explaining to me all that the kids would be doing, I started to cry. Horseback riding EVERY Monday! Swimming twice a week, lessons included! Sailing. SAILING!!! CAMRYN sailing! When would that EVER happen?? Each student has a personal assistant with them all day. They are teenagers who volunteer and go through a very intense training session to learn how to work with kids on the spectrum. Already moving home had paid off. This NEVER would have been possible in Port Charlotte. Her first day was last Monday which you know I was counting down to. For those of you who know me, I don't even have to say this. But for those of you who don't, let me reaasure you that I adore Camryn. She is my sunshine, like my other two daughters. But the sun doesn't always shine. There is rain and thunder and lightning and hail and hurricanes and tornados and oh, anyhow my point is, like the weather, Cams can be unpredictable with little or no warning of change. And I don't always carry an umbrella. Also, summer is not just about Camryn. This is also Mason's time off and Natalie's time with her sisters. I remember my summers as a kid, lounging in bed till I felt like getting up. Watching T.V., running around outside, going on daytrips. I want those things for my kids as well. But it's hard to loungse in bed with Camryn climbing on top of you and pinching your face. And watching T.V. can be a challenge with Cams standing directly in front of it, then trying to scratch you on the couch when you ask her to move. And field trips with Cam? Interesting to say the least. It breaks my heart to see Mace and Nat just trying to be little girls having fun and Camryn hurting them for no reason. It sucks! So, with Camryn in camp, Mason and Natalie have time to do their thing without the possibility of injury. And I get the chance to be a "normal" mom, doing "mom things" with them without the limits of Autism. And Camryn gets to have her own time and attention and do things she would never get to do otherwise. It works for all of us. And until 3:00 p.m. all is well. Now after camp, when Cam is worked up, tired and hungry, that is another story. But four hours to fill as opposed to fourteen? I'll take it anyday of the week and since Monday through Friday are already accounted for, anybody know of a weekend camp? ;)
Note: Camp Coast is housed at the Clearwater YMCA. It is strictly a donation based program which requires about $7500 to run seven weeks with 15 campers in each session. Last month, the director reported, with tears in her eyes, that so far they have $695 dollars raised for summer 2011. If you would like to make a donation, I know it would be so appreciated, whether it be two dollars or $200.00. I can get you the information if you know of somebody who may wish to give to this AMAZING camp. Thank you :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Moving Autism Chapter 2
Okay, so starting up where I left off yesterday....how ugly it got. Well, you know you look the morning after the stomach virus, all pasty with dark circles under your eyes and hair stuck together with vomit? Uglier than that. But I have to say initially, it wasn't that bad because another angel in our lives, "Aunt Jackie" volunteered to watch all 3, yes I said all 3, girls for the first two nights so we could get the house in some sort of order before the kids got there. Well, if you know Cams or if you have been following the blog then you know that Camryn has never had a successful sleepover, and by that I mean, there has never been any sleep involoved. But, because Jackie is amazing or insane, the line is very thin when it comes to these things, she threw caution to the wind and said bring Cams over, we'll make it work. And if you know me at all, then you know that's all I needed to hear before I stuffed a weeks worth of pullups and meds into a backpack and drove the crew over, because really, if someone is offering to watch the kids so Brad and I can have a moment to ourselves, even if it will be spent unloading a Uhaul, then I hope they really mean it because I am so saying "Absolutely!!"
I dropped them off, thinking I would probably be back to pick up Cams around 11:00 that night because I have never known her to sleep anywhere but her room. But even 11:00 was a nice break. Brad and I unpacked and even went out for a bite to eat. I called Jackie around 10:00 to check on the kids and was beyond shocked to hear that Cams was asleep!! She had fallen out about 30 minutes before and it seemed like she was out for the night. I could not believe it!! This had never happened and in fact had always upset me that she didn't sleep other places because taking a trip with her was off limits. But now for some reason, she had done it and I couldn't have been more pleased. Of course Jackie had to sleep with her, because Cams does wake up several times at night, but Jackie would just tell her to lay back down and she did. I was so thrilled!!!
By the time the kids returned Tuesday the house was liveable but still resembled a warzone. Oh and we didn't have any cable yet, need I say more? With Mason and Natalie, I was able to explain that I was trying to put things away and that I needed them to go in their room and go through boxes, find their things and put them away the best they could. There were whines and rolling eyes, but they did what they were told. Now Cam-a-rama however, was another story. At 7 years old, almost 4 feet tall and 71 pounds, the wooden babygate that used to keep her contained may as well be a piece of cardboard. I didn't yet know she could move it and put her in her room with some things to amuse her...a few dog bones, a plastic bowl and spoon, a ziploc baggie and some river rocks, Cam "toys". I latched the gate and walked off to the piles of boxes waiting to be opened. I had no sooner ripped into the first one when Camryn appears, gate in her hand, saying"Did you break your gate honey?" Which is Cam-ish for " This thing ain't holding me back anymore!" I thought, you have got to be kidding me. Lord, please, all I want to do is unpack. I really don't feel like I am asking alot here. I took Cams by the hand, walked back into her room, sat her down on the floor, gave her a magnadoodle and told her to draw. I then latched the gate and resumed my unpacking. I heard a thud, but paid it no mind as Cams routinely throws things over her gate, which is why we refer to any object given to Camryn that is bigger than six inches and weighs more than five pounds "Weapons of Mass Destruction". Yep, George Jr was way off course. They were with Cam the whole time, who knew? So anyway, I figured that it was just a large book that had been pitched out. But then, I heard feet pounding on the wood floor and sure enough there she was again, gate in hand, saying "Did you break your gate honey?" But meaning, "Look woman, what aren't you understanding? This thing?? Not working anymore! I will not be caged!!!"
I somehow remained calm, but was pulling a total Gordon Ramsay( you know, the Hell's Kitchen guy) in my head. This is not going to work. Ok, I'll just have Cams sit with me while I put things away. She spent the night and she had never done that before, so was it such a pipe dream to think that she could sit here and "help" me put things away? Well yes, turns out it was. Cams is a lot like a toddler so while I was putting things away, she was taking them and putting them somewhere else. And when she wasn't doing that, she was swinging open the refrigerator door, grabbing the very breakable pickle jar and carrying it through the house as I chased after her. I would give her a pickle and she would stand right on the new rug and chomp it while pickle juice dripped down her chin, her hands and you guessed it onto the new rug. Uuuggghh!! In desperate times like these, I like to turn to a little parenting trick that I have found can work very well or not so much. Bribery, and I was just crossing everything that it would go well. "Mason!!! Would you please play with Cams in her room and I'll pay you a dollar?" Of course she was not happy about having to put her life on the line for chump change, so she bargained with me for two dollars and an extra 30 mintues before bed. Fine, so I put Cams in her room, replaced the gate hoping she wouldn't mess with it if Mace was in the room with her and told Mace to be careful.
I decided to start a load of laundry while I was cleaning, you know the whole two birds with one stone thing, but just as I was pouring the detergent, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a piercing howl. And I knew exactly what it was. Cams had hurt Mason, which is how the bribery thing can go bad. She came screaming and crying out of the room, cradling a badly scratched arm and professing her undying hatred for Camryn and her Autism. I embraced Mason with one arm and grabbed Camryn with the other, forcing her to sit on the floor in time out for hurting. As upset as Mason was about her injury, she wanted to make sure she still got her two dollars and 30 minutes which of course she did. I even threw in a popsicle for Workmans Comp kid style. Cams was sitting on the floor, "growling" saying "Say you're sorry for pinching" and screaming, biting her own arm and hitting herself on the head. Meanwhile Natalie was in her room, not putting things away, but setting up a play land for her stuffed animals. So there we were, Mason on the whimpering about her arm, me sitting next to her telling her how sorry I was and that Cams loves her and doesn't mean to hurt, Camryn on the floor, screaming and attacking herself and Nat off in a world of her own, which officially made her the smartest one of us all. Needless to say, the house looked worse that evening than it had when I started and I was exhausted. How was I going to get this place in order with all this craziness going on? Well, as luck would have it, a friend of my mom's daughter was home from college for the summer and needed a job and had watched my kids once about 4 years ago, so.......... the very next morning, I made a desperate phone call eerily similar to the one I made to Ms. Mills the week prior, and pretty much begged her to come over and help me. You know the saying "It takes a village to raise a child?" Well it takes a small country to raise Camryn! Thank God she was available and actually in need of work, so she came right over and took Camryn out for the day! I really am so blessed to have these people in our lives."Miss Amy" took Cams to the pier, rode the trolley downtown, went to McDonalds and had a great time. Miss Amy made some money, Camryn had a fun day, and Mason and Natalie and I got a lot done in the house and went shopping. By the time I picked up Camryn, it was time for bed. I bathed her, brushed her teeth and put her to bed. As I walked out of her room, I closed the door and latched the gate once again, knowing this time it would stay in place, at least until 6:00 in the morning.
I dropped them off, thinking I would probably be back to pick up Cams around 11:00 that night because I have never known her to sleep anywhere but her room. But even 11:00 was a nice break. Brad and I unpacked and even went out for a bite to eat. I called Jackie around 10:00 to check on the kids and was beyond shocked to hear that Cams was asleep!! She had fallen out about 30 minutes before and it seemed like she was out for the night. I could not believe it!! This had never happened and in fact had always upset me that she didn't sleep other places because taking a trip with her was off limits. But now for some reason, she had done it and I couldn't have been more pleased. Of course Jackie had to sleep with her, because Cams does wake up several times at night, but Jackie would just tell her to lay back down and she did. I was so thrilled!!!
By the time the kids returned Tuesday the house was liveable but still resembled a warzone. Oh and we didn't have any cable yet, need I say more? With Mason and Natalie, I was able to explain that I was trying to put things away and that I needed them to go in their room and go through boxes, find their things and put them away the best they could. There were whines and rolling eyes, but they did what they were told. Now Cam-a-rama however, was another story. At 7 years old, almost 4 feet tall and 71 pounds, the wooden babygate that used to keep her contained may as well be a piece of cardboard. I didn't yet know she could move it and put her in her room with some things to amuse her...a few dog bones, a plastic bowl and spoon, a ziploc baggie and some river rocks, Cam "toys". I latched the gate and walked off to the piles of boxes waiting to be opened. I had no sooner ripped into the first one when Camryn appears, gate in her hand, saying"Did you break your gate honey?" Which is Cam-ish for " This thing ain't holding me back anymore!" I thought, you have got to be kidding me. Lord, please, all I want to do is unpack. I really don't feel like I am asking alot here. I took Cams by the hand, walked back into her room, sat her down on the floor, gave her a magnadoodle and told her to draw. I then latched the gate and resumed my unpacking. I heard a thud, but paid it no mind as Cams routinely throws things over her gate, which is why we refer to any object given to Camryn that is bigger than six inches and weighs more than five pounds "Weapons of Mass Destruction". Yep, George Jr was way off course. They were with Cam the whole time, who knew? So anyway, I figured that it was just a large book that had been pitched out. But then, I heard feet pounding on the wood floor and sure enough there she was again, gate in hand, saying "Did you break your gate honey?" But meaning, "Look woman, what aren't you understanding? This thing?? Not working anymore! I will not be caged!!!"
I somehow remained calm, but was pulling a total Gordon Ramsay( you know, the Hell's Kitchen guy) in my head. This is not going to work. Ok, I'll just have Cams sit with me while I put things away. She spent the night and she had never done that before, so was it such a pipe dream to think that she could sit here and "help" me put things away? Well yes, turns out it was. Cams is a lot like a toddler so while I was putting things away, she was taking them and putting them somewhere else. And when she wasn't doing that, she was swinging open the refrigerator door, grabbing the very breakable pickle jar and carrying it through the house as I chased after her. I would give her a pickle and she would stand right on the new rug and chomp it while pickle juice dripped down her chin, her hands and you guessed it onto the new rug. Uuuggghh!! In desperate times like these, I like to turn to a little parenting trick that I have found can work very well or not so much. Bribery, and I was just crossing everything that it would go well. "Mason!!! Would you please play with Cams in her room and I'll pay you a dollar?" Of course she was not happy about having to put her life on the line for chump change, so she bargained with me for two dollars and an extra 30 mintues before bed. Fine, so I put Cams in her room, replaced the gate hoping she wouldn't mess with it if Mace was in the room with her and told Mace to be careful.
I decided to start a load of laundry while I was cleaning, you know the whole two birds with one stone thing, but just as I was pouring the detergent, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a piercing howl. And I knew exactly what it was. Cams had hurt Mason, which is how the bribery thing can go bad. She came screaming and crying out of the room, cradling a badly scratched arm and professing her undying hatred for Camryn and her Autism. I embraced Mason with one arm and grabbed Camryn with the other, forcing her to sit on the floor in time out for hurting. As upset as Mason was about her injury, she wanted to make sure she still got her two dollars and 30 minutes which of course she did. I even threw in a popsicle for Workmans Comp kid style. Cams was sitting on the floor, "growling" saying "Say you're sorry for pinching" and screaming, biting her own arm and hitting herself on the head. Meanwhile Natalie was in her room, not putting things away, but setting up a play land for her stuffed animals. So there we were, Mason on the whimpering about her arm, me sitting next to her telling her how sorry I was and that Cams loves her and doesn't mean to hurt, Camryn on the floor, screaming and attacking herself and Nat off in a world of her own, which officially made her the smartest one of us all. Needless to say, the house looked worse that evening than it had when I started and I was exhausted. How was I going to get this place in order with all this craziness going on? Well, as luck would have it, a friend of my mom's daughter was home from college for the summer and needed a job and had watched my kids once about 4 years ago, so.......... the very next morning, I made a desperate phone call eerily similar to the one I made to Ms. Mills the week prior, and pretty much begged her to come over and help me. You know the saying "It takes a village to raise a child?" Well it takes a small country to raise Camryn! Thank God she was available and actually in need of work, so she came right over and took Camryn out for the day! I really am so blessed to have these people in our lives."Miss Amy" took Cams to the pier, rode the trolley downtown, went to McDonalds and had a great time. Miss Amy made some money, Camryn had a fun day, and Mason and Natalie and I got a lot done in the house and went shopping. By the time I picked up Camryn, it was time for bed. I bathed her, brushed her teeth and put her to bed. As I walked out of her room, I closed the door and latched the gate once again, knowing this time it would stay in place, at least until 6:00 in the morning.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Moving Autism Chapter 1
Okay, so we are all moved in and all I can say is wow. Moving is alot of work! I don't even like carrying in the groceries from the car to the kitchen, so wrapping my whole life in bubble wrap and moving it to a whole new location was quite an undertaking. And it wasn't so much the actual packing and wrapping and labeling and unpacking. It was the packing, wrapping, labeling and unpacking while my kids were running around crazy. And even that, I could handle... with the promise of a very cold and sparkling adult beverage at the end of the day, but MY GOD, trying to move with Camryn in the house was nothing short of impossible and if it weren't for the help of her teacher, yes I was so desperate for help that I broke down and called her teacher, I would probably still be sitting in my garage, mouth hung open staring into space, surrounded by boxes and bags while Hurricane Camryn ripped through them, throwing their contents on the floor.
So, I guess I need to backtrack a bit so you can get the full experience. The weekend that we moved, we decided to have a garage sale. Harmless enough right? People have them all the time right? Yes and yes. BUT, have you ever been to a garage sale at the home of an autistic child? Well, I for one have not and if I have the child was not like Cams, because I would have remembered, but anyway, we decided to have this garage sale and we get all the stuff together and set up and get the signs out and it's about 11:00 at night and we realize...we have no one to watch Camryn during the sale. I thought my mother-in-law was going to help, but they had company in town and that is another story, so anyhow, we didn't have anybody who could amuse her and that could be a huge problem. I had been talking to her teacher,Ms. Mills, the day before about a camp I wanted to put Cam's in for the summer(which she is in now Praise the Lord!!!!! and I will write about it soon) and they needed to talk to her teacher to see if the camp would be a good fit for Camryn, and while we were talking about that Ms Mills mentioned if I ever needed anyone to watch Cams she would be happy to do so. I said thank you and thought to myself I would NEVER ask her teacher to watch one of her students during her time off! I mean what kind of parent does that? Ok, well apparently me, because as soon as the sun started to creep over the trees the next morning I dialed Ms Mills in a desperate panic and asked if that offer of watching Cams she mentioned about 16 hours before was still good. Of course she said yes, because she is an angel sent from above and she was there by 8:30, ready to take Cams. I LOVE MS MILLS!!! So with Cams gone and Mason and Natalie inside packing, we had a successful sale. But by 2:00 Cams was back and our house was completely packed except for mattresses and a plastic table with fold out chairs in front of the television. Now for most families moving with kids, while spending the night in a house that is full of boxes and empty of toys can be uncomfortable and boring, at least it can be explained that this is only for the night and tomorrow you will be moving to your new house and how exciting it will be and for the next 24 hours you better not touch ANYTHING if you value your life. BUT with a child who is Autistic and depends on routines and familiar surroundings to stay semi calm, a house full of boxes and a room without furniture is basically just a big ole pile of ammunition for the biggest, baddest meltdown in town. And you can explain till you're blue in the face that we are moving to a new house and soon you will have a new pretty bedroom and all your things will be there and will you please just calm down and sit at the plastic table and watch the t.v. that's on the floor while you eat your tenth happy meal in a row since we aren't buying persishable food before the move and be a good girl and Mommy will buy you a treat. OR you could just put your fingers in your ears, stick out your tongue and dance a jig because either way, it's going to get ugly...very, very ugly. Tomorrow I'll tell you just how ugly it got. ;)
So, I guess I need to backtrack a bit so you can get the full experience. The weekend that we moved, we decided to have a garage sale. Harmless enough right? People have them all the time right? Yes and yes. BUT, have you ever been to a garage sale at the home of an autistic child? Well, I for one have not and if I have the child was not like Cams, because I would have remembered, but anyway, we decided to have this garage sale and we get all the stuff together and set up and get the signs out and it's about 11:00 at night and we realize...we have no one to watch Camryn during the sale. I thought my mother-in-law was going to help, but they had company in town and that is another story, so anyhow, we didn't have anybody who could amuse her and that could be a huge problem. I had been talking to her teacher,Ms. Mills, the day before about a camp I wanted to put Cam's in for the summer(which she is in now Praise the Lord!!!!! and I will write about it soon) and they needed to talk to her teacher to see if the camp would be a good fit for Camryn, and while we were talking about that Ms Mills mentioned if I ever needed anyone to watch Cams she would be happy to do so. I said thank you and thought to myself I would NEVER ask her teacher to watch one of her students during her time off! I mean what kind of parent does that? Ok, well apparently me, because as soon as the sun started to creep over the trees the next morning I dialed Ms Mills in a desperate panic and asked if that offer of watching Cams she mentioned about 16 hours before was still good. Of course she said yes, because she is an angel sent from above and she was there by 8:30, ready to take Cams. I LOVE MS MILLS!!! So with Cams gone and Mason and Natalie inside packing, we had a successful sale. But by 2:00 Cams was back and our house was completely packed except for mattresses and a plastic table with fold out chairs in front of the television. Now for most families moving with kids, while spending the night in a house that is full of boxes and empty of toys can be uncomfortable and boring, at least it can be explained that this is only for the night and tomorrow you will be moving to your new house and how exciting it will be and for the next 24 hours you better not touch ANYTHING if you value your life. BUT with a child who is Autistic and depends on routines and familiar surroundings to stay semi calm, a house full of boxes and a room without furniture is basically just a big ole pile of ammunition for the biggest, baddest meltdown in town. And you can explain till you're blue in the face that we are moving to a new house and soon you will have a new pretty bedroom and all your things will be there and will you please just calm down and sit at the plastic table and watch the t.v. that's on the floor while you eat your tenth happy meal in a row since we aren't buying persishable food before the move and be a good girl and Mommy will buy you a treat. OR you could just put your fingers in your ears, stick out your tongue and dance a jig because either way, it's going to get ugly...very, very ugly. Tomorrow I'll tell you just how ugly it got. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
