Return to Zero
12 years ago
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My encounter of the raving kind...
Had to bring this entry over from the bus blog! http://www.thetwilightbus.com/ ENJOY!
OK I usually do not write about personal stories on this blog but since it had to do with the bus I figured Why not..
We were out and about in the bus today. I went to Toys R Us to exchange something. Well some of the kids did not want to go in (as I was only running in to the counter and back) and having 2 teenagers in the bus, I decided to let them stay in the bus and read their books and listen to the music.
After about 4/5 minutes I came back out (now remember I am in the spot closest to the entrance literally 20 feet away) and I come out and am immediately attacked by some guy ranting and raving at me. He literally jumped on me as he asked why I would leave the kids in the bus. I informed him that I had 2 teens in the bus and it was perfectly legal and safe to allow them to watch the few little ones for 5 minutes.
His minion (wife or girlfriend I think) starts ranting about how she gives to the "foundation/organization" and comes out of the store to see kids in the bus and how appalled she is. I informed her that I was not an "organization" and I had no clue what she was talking about and she starts yelling at me telling me not to lie to her about being in the "organization". I politely say again that I have no clue what she is talking about, I have gotten no money from anyone. The man says that yes I am an "organization" and she gives money to them. Once again I told him I did not know what he was talking about that the bus was a privately owned vehicle. He asked me what the web address is and I told him a link to our blog. He says "Oh and what will I find on this site?" I proudly told him lots of pictures of an old school bus!
I climbed into the bus as the raving guy says the police are on their way. I told him "well my kids are hungry and I am going to go feed them lunch feel free to send the police over to Burger King if you want." I close my door make sure kids are belted in and back out of my spot with the man yelling at the lady to "follow her!"
Needless to say half way to BK the police pull the bus over and 2 officers (from different cars) come to the bus door. I opened the door and welcomed the officers aboard the bus. They came in and asked me if there was a problem and I let them know what went on. They of course ran my licence to make sure I was not some Kidnapping psycho or something , Nope clean as a whistle not so much as a traffic ticket. They came back and I spent the next 5-10 minutes telling them the story of the bus. After nearly picking them up off the ground as they asked if all the kids were mine and informing them that yes they were, they checked out the bus and said it was awesome and for us to have a good day. I closed the bus doors and continued to BK to feed the now starving children.
I do however wish I had waited in the parking lot for the police so they lady and guy could see that I did nothing wrong and they had their panties in a bunch for nothing. Oh well.
Like I said before, Life is never dull around here, especially when you drive a renovated school bus full of kids!
We were out and about in the bus today. I went to Toys R Us to exchange something. Well some of the kids did not want to go in (as I was only running in to the counter and back) and having 2 teenagers in the bus, I decided to let them stay in the bus and read their books and listen to the music.
After about 4/5 minutes I came back out (now remember I am in the spot closest to the entrance literally 20 feet away) and I come out and am immediately attacked by some guy ranting and raving at me. He literally jumped on me as he asked why I would leave the kids in the bus. I informed him that I had 2 teens in the bus and it was perfectly legal and safe to allow them to watch the few little ones for 5 minutes.
His minion (wife or girlfriend I think) starts ranting about how she gives to the "foundation/organization" and comes out of the store to see kids in the bus and how appalled she is. I informed her that I was not an "organization" and I had no clue what she was talking about and she starts yelling at me telling me not to lie to her about being in the "organization". I politely say again that I have no clue what she is talking about, I have gotten no money from anyone. The man says that yes I am an "organization" and she gives money to them. Once again I told him I did not know what he was talking about that the bus was a privately owned vehicle. He asked me what the web address is and I told him a link to our blog. He says "Oh and what will I find on this site?" I proudly told him lots of pictures of an old school bus!
I climbed into the bus as the raving guy says the police are on their way. I told him "well my kids are hungry and I am going to go feed them lunch feel free to send the police over to Burger King if you want." I close my door make sure kids are belted in and back out of my spot with the man yelling at the lady to "follow her!"
Needless to say half way to BK the police pull the bus over and 2 officers (from different cars) come to the bus door. I opened the door and welcomed the officers aboard the bus. They came in and asked me if there was a problem and I let them know what went on. They of course ran my licence to make sure I was not some Kidnapping psycho or something , Nope clean as a whistle not so much as a traffic ticket. They came back and I spent the next 5-10 minutes telling them the story of the bus. After nearly picking them up off the ground as they asked if all the kids were mine and informing them that yes they were, they checked out the bus and said it was awesome and for us to have a good day. I closed the bus doors and continued to BK to feed the now starving children.
I do however wish I had waited in the parking lot for the police so they lady and guy could see that I did nothing wrong and they had their panties in a bunch for nothing. Oh well.
Like I said before, Life is never dull around here, especially when you drive a renovated school bus full of kids!
AFTER SOME RESEARCH I DID FIND THIS;
Maybe this is what she thought I was.....
The Twilight Benefit Foundation is a "501(c)3" charitable organization, existing to support and further social, philanthropic and humanitarian efforts to give something back... to the community and to our fellow man.Our focus is on social needs and concerns, the preservation of our environment, and the continuing research for the elimination of catastrophic disease. We strive with uncompromising passion to leave this world better than we found it.
I guess leaving the kids in the bus (thus avoiding several temper tantrums and many Mommy buy me this), did not fit into their idea of striving to leave the world better than they found it, though I can guarantee that Toys R us is better for it!
Maybe this is what she thought I was.....
The Twilight Benefit Foundation is a "501(c)3" charitable organization, existing to support and further social, philanthropic and humanitarian efforts to give something back... to the community and to our fellow man.Our focus is on social needs and concerns, the preservation of our environment, and the continuing research for the elimination of catastrophic disease. We strive with uncompromising passion to leave this world better than we found it.
I guess leaving the kids in the bus (thus avoiding several temper tantrums and many Mommy buy me this), did not fit into their idea of striving to leave the world better than they found it, though I can guarantee that Toys R us is better for it!
Friday, July 3, 2009
A SN Parents Bill Of Rights
Written by Ellen S.
Ellen can be found at To The Max.
A Bill of Rights For Parents of Kids With Special Needs
We, the parents, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure tranquility (and sanity) and promote the general welfare of our families, do ordain and establish this Bill of Rights.
* We have the right to expect our kids to be seen for who they are as individuals, not as labels or diagnoses.
* We have a right to trust our instincts about our kids and realize that experts don't always know best.
* We have a right to ignore the remarks, questions and stares and not give explanations or excuses for why our children are the way they are.
* We have a right to choose alternative therapies for our kids.
* We have a right to roll our eyes straight out of our heads when we encounter certain mothers who brag nonstop that their kids are the smartest students/best athletes ever.
* We have a right to wonder "What if…" every so often.
* We have a right to play aimlessly with our children. Not for therapeutic or educational purposes—just for fun.
* We have a right to blast Bruce Springsteen/ Tom Petty/Any Rocker, down a glass of Pinot Grigio, get a pedicure, go out with the girls or do all of the aforementioned at once if that's what it takes to avoid burnout.
* We have a right to react to people's ignorance in whatever way we feel necessary.
* We have a right to not always have our child be the poster child for his/her disability and some days be just a child
We have a right to go through the grieving process and realize we may never quite be "over it."
* We have the right to give our kids chores. Even better if they can learn to make breakfast in bed for us.
* We have a right to stretch the truth when we fail to do the exercises the therapist asked us to do this week because we were too darn tired or overwhelmed.
* We have a right to have yet more Pinot Grigio
* We have a right to fire any doctor or therapist who's negative, unsupportive or who generally says suck-y things.
* We have a right to tell family and friends that everything may not be OK—at least not how they mean it, anyway.
* We have a right to hope for an empty playground so we don't have to look into another child's eyes and answer the question, "What's wrong with him?"
* We have a right to bawl on the way back from the playground, the birthday party, the mall or anyplace where our children's challenges become glaringly obvious in the face of all the other kids doing their typical-development things.
* We have the right to give our children consequences for their behavior. They may be "special" but they can still be a royal pain in the ass.
* We have a right to take a break from Googling therapies, procedures, medicine and treatments for our kids to research upcoming concerts, exotic teas or anything not related to our child's disabilities.
* We have a right to talk about how great our kids are when people don't get it.
* We have the right to not always behave as inspirational icons who never complain or gripe about the sometimes awful realities of raising a child with special needs.
* We have a right to expect quality services for our children not just when they're infants, preschoolers and elementary school age, but when they're in older grades and adults, too.
* We have a right to adequate funding for those services and to not have to kick, scream or endure a wait for them.
* We have a right to get tired of people saying, as they give that sympathy stare, "I don't know how you do it."
* We have a right to wish that sometimes things could be easier.
* We have a right to cheer like crazy anytime our children amaze us—or weep like lunatics.
* We have a right to push, push and push some more to make sure our children are treated fairly by the world.
For a printable copy, e-mail LoveThatMax@ gmail.com.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Chaos and Cookies
If you know me you know I almost always live in a state of Chaos. I mean with 9 kids going 12 different directions (yes 12 and I am not sure how they accomplish that) it is a wonder anything gets done!
I will be the first to admit I am not perfect, My kids are not the perfectly well behaved little kids holding mommy's hand in the store not asking for a thing. Mine are usually the ones playing grab ass as my husband calls it, down the aisle. There is often a small child crying because someone touched them or they cannot have something. Many times more than one. My son is often looking like a lost tourist among the sea of racks and aisles.
Wherever we go we are noticed. Sometimes that is good (when the kids are half way behaving) and many times it is not.
There is no such thing as a quick run into the store. Each trip takes lots of time to prepare for.
My life seems at times, like when you are baking cookies. (My cookies come pre-made but let's just roll with this.) To bake cookies you have to get all the ingredients together, You have to measure out everything. You have to pre-heat the oven, mix, roll out, grease the pan, cut the cookies and then finally put them in to bake. You await the final buzz of the oven. In the meantime you smell the cookies baking and you imagine what it will be like when they are done. You look at your kitchen covered in dirty mixing bowls and cups and dusted with flour. It is a bit overwhelming when you are in the moment, but you know that in the end the cookies will be worth all the mess.
Right now my cookies (Kids) are in the oven (growing) and I am staring at my dirty kitchen (my daily chaos of a family of 11) But when the timer goes off, I know that the Cookies will be well worth the wait and the mess left behind.
I will be the first to admit I am not perfect, My kids are not the perfectly well behaved little kids holding mommy's hand in the store not asking for a thing. Mine are usually the ones playing grab ass as my husband calls it, down the aisle. There is often a small child crying because someone touched them or they cannot have something. Many times more than one. My son is often looking like a lost tourist among the sea of racks and aisles.
Wherever we go we are noticed. Sometimes that is good (when the kids are half way behaving) and many times it is not.
There is no such thing as a quick run into the store. Each trip takes lots of time to prepare for.
My life seems at times, like when you are baking cookies. (My cookies come pre-made but let's just roll with this.) To bake cookies you have to get all the ingredients together, You have to measure out everything. You have to pre-heat the oven, mix, roll out, grease the pan, cut the cookies and then finally put them in to bake. You await the final buzz of the oven. In the meantime you smell the cookies baking and you imagine what it will be like when they are done. You look at your kitchen covered in dirty mixing bowls and cups and dusted with flour. It is a bit overwhelming when you are in the moment, but you know that in the end the cookies will be worth all the mess.
Right now my cookies (Kids) are in the oven (growing) and I am staring at my dirty kitchen (my daily chaos of a family of 11) But when the timer goes off, I know that the Cookies will be well worth the wait and the mess left behind.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Throwing in the Towel
Do you ever feel like throwing in the towel?
I for one, have days when I wish I could.
Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you just quit? I mean what would happen if you just walked away?
I have often wondered what it would be like to be the irresponsible parent. You know the one who is able to walk away and leave it all behind. I KNOW I could never really do that but I do wonder sometimes. I wonder what I would be doing right now if I was not cleaning house, cooking dinner, chasing kids, running to dr appointments, being a wife.
Would I be happier?
Sadder?
Would I know what I was missing or because I never had it, would I even care?
Where would I be?
Who would I be?
The saying "the grass is greener on the other side" applies here. I can think about all this and think of how my life would be somehow better but would it really?
I had a neighbor, whom my daughter CJ helps with shopping and cleaning, attempt to throw in the towel this week and I watched my 11 year old come home upset and confused. I have had to explain more about life in the past few days than I ever though I would have to explain to an 11 year old.
We always dream of it better but honestly I don't think it would be.
Different yes but not necessarily better.
As much as I have days like today and I am very close to throwing in the towel, I check on my kids (who after MUCH arguing and a day full of being annoying and not listening) who are asleep in their beds, I know that it is because of them that I will never actually thrown in the towel but I will use that towel to wipe the crap off my kitchen table!
I am still figuring out what my life is supposed to mean but I do know that I was supposed to be these children's mom for whatever reason and I have to do all I can to be the best I can for them.
As for the proverbial "towel" it is now piled with the mound of dirty clothes in the laundry room and someday I will get caught up and that towel will once again surface but for now at least my kitchen table is clean!
Ever wanna post to noone?
OK I was looking for a good sounding board.
Somewhere I could post anonymously about whatever was bugging me.
You know you always feel better when you say what is on your mind but many times you can't. SO I came up with this blog.
I am going to use it to complain about whatever is bugging me and I opened it up to anyone else who cares to do the same .
http://imanonymouslyme.blogspot.com/
It is a great place to let it all out.
It is a great place to let it all out.
Share your rants, raves and have your own Pity party.
Everyone needs to have one at some point and you know you feel better after you let it out.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
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