I love lists!!

I can not believe that it has been two months since I was able to blog! I don't know what has happened since then. I was sick, the dog has been sick, Mr. A's birthday came and went, Halloween came and went, and I am taking Mr. A to a holistic allergist. I will have to blog about that another time.

Now since the last time I blogged I have been wanting to share my obsession with lists. I write everything down or it will be forgotten, believe me! Sometimes if I am about to do a task and it has been crossed out and I get distracted the task leaves my brain! I just have a horrible memory. So each Sunday I get my planner out and spend time planning my whole week. For example, Monday's I plan to make any phone calls. Sometimes this can take me a whole hour to accomplish! It frightens me when I look at the clock and see how much time it has taken me. Everyday is filled with something that has to be done. I feel pressured to finish what I have planned for that day. Sometimes I just wish I could stop so that I wouldn't feel like I always had to be doing something. But that is how our society is right? I want to change that, just don't know how! So if anyone has some ideas send them my way!!

I also write lists for things that need to be bought at the store or where I am going on errand days. I keep paper in the car, in the kitchen, by my bed, and in my purse. That way when I think of something I can jot it down and not worry about trying to remember it while I do something else. I think that's a great tip!


My planner at the beginning of the week


My planner at the end of the week

Catching up!

Ok, I have been so busy I am now behind on this blog! So, this is what has happened since last month.

On the 9th of August Mr. A went to see his psychiatrist. She rose the amount of medication he is taking for ADHD. She was seeing a lot of impulsiveness in him and was hoping it would help. Fast forward to the 6th of September. Upping the dose has made his behavior worse. I just didn't realize it until she stared asking some questions and the pieces started to fit together. Now Mr. A is taking the lower ADHD medication and taking a higher dose for the OCD medication. We see the doctor in 2 weeks to see how he is doing.

On the 10th of August I met with the Dean of Students and Mr. A's behavior coach to make sure we are all on the same page for the school year and working together as a team.

On the 11th I met with the Enrichment planning committee. I love this calling I have in the LDS Church! I get to work with some really fun and interesting women! We planned for the rest of the year, one activity a month. We had some really good cake that the Relief Society President made. YUM!! I am in charge of November and have been searching for a craft to do. I think I found one and will post about it later!

On the 13th I took a much needed break with my Mom! We had an excellent time eating out, shopping, and visiting. We went to Build-A-Bear and made our own bears. I've always wanted to do this, well, because I am jealous of my kids bears. My kids never want to buy any of the cute clothes for their bears. Which is so weird! I love the clothes they have for the bears. So they were having a fabulous deal. The bear, clothes, and shoes for $30!! Here is a picture of our bears at the hotel room.



We also went to the Disney Store and looked around. I loved being able to eat out without rushing or worrying about the time. If the kids had been there I would have had to listen to them whine, "I'm full. I am ready to go!"

On the 18th I got to do a tomato tasting research. I am signed up with Delve. They call me from time to time and I answer their surveys, but I never get into the studies. The last one I did with them was on diapers when Miss E still wore diapers. So this was really a treat. I am now craving tomatoes all the time. They were so yummy and I got paid $60 for tasting them. If you are interested here is a link to their site: www.delve.com



I also went to the PTA meeting, the first one of the year. I love our new president she stays on task and the meeting is more organized. Don't get me wrong, I loved the president we had last year too. I always wanted to be more active with the PTA. I was a member last year, but only went to meetings and voted. This year I helped out with the closing of the Entertainment book sale on the 31st. I hadn't planned on helping, but as I was leaving the school I could tell they needed help. I stayed for 4 hours. I really enjoyed the work!



Earlier this year my Bishop encouraged me on some goals for the 2011 year during my tithing settlement. One of them was going to the Temple once a month. I told him I really couldn't at the time because of all the things I needed to do with my children. I told him my goal was to start when the children started school in August. Well, I did it! I moved the date back 3 times, but I finally went on the 23rd. I really enjoyed myself and I never once worried about the time. I also went to the Desert Bookstore afterward and used some Birthday money to get a Study Guide for the Old Testament.



On the 25th I went back to the allergist doctor. I, unfortunately, did not get good news. Mr. A's allergies have gotten worse! The counts in his blood have doubled on most things he was tested on. Mr. A has a condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, EE for short. The count in his blood should be around 100 EE cells. He is in the 3,000 range. I will also be taking him in to his GI Dr. in a few weeks. We may have to do another endoscopy. Mr. A does not know about it yet, because he gets very worked up about this procedure. I do not get to introduce any new foods at this time. I was hoping for much better news! Here is the list of foods that he is allergic to according to the blood test results: eggs, peanuts, tomatoes, beef, carrots, potatoes.
There are some new ones on this list and some that are gone. The Doctor is also thinking some of the vegetables are coming up so high is because he has extremely bad environmental allergies: grass, trees, weeds, cats, dogs, and pollens. She explained how vegetables grow on plants and so that is why it's showing up like that. So we are going to start allergy shots sometime this month and hopefully that will help him! That evening I went to the Enrichment activity Recipes and Raffles. Some of the ladies brought a dish with a recipe. There was a lot of food and a very good turnout! I shouldn't have eaten dinner. Then there was a raffle for Victoria Secret lotion. I think everyone got something!

On September 2nd we got out of town for Labor Day weekend. We stayed with my parents in Sahuarita, AZ. It was a good time, but I have been really dizzy for a week now and I feel tired. So I slept some while there.

I took Mr. A to his GI doctor on the 6th. I am so very frustrated. She did not have anything from the allergist. She does not want to do another endoscopy right now, unless Mr. A does not gain weight. So now I need to weigh him weekly. I really wonder how all of these weight issues are going to affect him as he grows up. I don't want him to always be worried about his weight! So I don't know what or where we are now with all of this. I don't know what to do next.

So this turned out to be very long, but as you can see I am one busy parent! In just the last two days I had to pick Mr. A up from school early because he hit his head on a desk and has a gash. No stitches needed and no concussion!! I had to get him from the office yesterday because he scratched a desk up because he was mad at his teacher. He is in ISS for 3 days and has to pay for a new desk top with his allowance. I really hope next week and the rest of this month is better!!

Counting

Ok, I promised that I would share what my life as a perfectionist is like. So here it goes! (Big breath). One of the first things that I do during the day is counting. This habit is not as bothersome as other habits that I have. I count how many times I rub soap on my body in the shower, washing and rinsing shampoo and conditioner in my hair, brushing my teeth, lotion and deodorant on my body, chewing food. I mean I could go on and on all day with things that I count. I love certain numbers. Usually any even number and anything divisible by 5 and 10. So, for example, when washing my hair I count to 20 before rinsing the soap out. I've always loved math and thought of it as a "game" while growing up. I took pre calculus in High School and loved it! So maybe I just love numbers!

The dreaded scratch test

I picked the kids up from school early today to get Mr. A to his allergist appointment. He told me he had been nervous all day. He did such a good job. He held my hand and didn't scream or yell, no tears either! He did ask for a break about half way through. What they do is use a bunch of sharp plastic things. They almost have a little prong on the end almost like a needle. They are sitting in liquid of what ever they are testing you for. In Mr. A's case he was scratched with 60 of them. He was tested for things like fruits, fish, vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy, to name a few. His back had red patches and some of them became hives. I did not get a picture while there, and when I checked later his back was normal again. So they said from this test he's allergic to: pecans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, lamb, pork, and beef. They will use all of the tests to determine what to keep him off of and also from his symptoms. The blood test was not complete yet so we could not make the food plan to reintroduce food yet. The Dr was able to show me his EE cell count is still high and his allergen cell count was extremely high. It should be in the 100's, he is at over 3,000. To me that is so scary! She is thinking she does not want to reintroduce any food at this point and we may have to do another endoscopy. Mr. A does not know this yet, and I will not tell him till I know for sure this is what is going to happen. I go back in 3 weeks to find out what the blood test found.

Back to school

Today my kids went back to school. I was having a very hard time doing things in the order I usually do, so I felt a little mixed up. The first day of school pictures weren't exactly the way I wanted, but they will have to do because we were already leaving late.


A thumbs up for a good day!


The first day of school!


The Fancy Nancy backpack.

When we got to school we parked so very far away. I needed to deliver last minute supplies, medicine and make sure Miss E got to her class OK. Miss E started in right away. "Are we there yet? How much further? My feet hurt. Can I have a piggyback ride?". We delivered Mr A to his class. Everything was busy and hectic, he was unsure what to do. His teacher said for him to pick a seat and visit with his friends. I loved that she was so laid back! Then I took Miss E to her class. The teacher was right on top of things. Pick out your name tag and go sit down and color the picture at your spot. I gave her a quick kiss and the teacher whisked her away. I went home and cried. I worried that she didn't feel like I said goodbye. Well, I did have to return later with a new sandwich (one without peanut butter, there are kids with severe allergies in her class) and get some shoes approved for her (they said yes, thank goodness!). As I was going to put her new sandwich in her bag she was getting her snack out, she told me she was doing good and she looked happy! I felt so much better for the rest of the day. When I picked the kids up from school Miss E told me she loved school and Mr A told me he met new friends today.

Ultimate Homework Station

I found this great idea from the Disney Family Fun magazine from September 2009. The kids really had a good time putting it together. I really hope that the station will keep them from bugging each other and fighting and homework can actually be done!

Here is what you need:
Tri-fold display board (48 by 36 inches; makes 2 stations)
Yardstick and pencil
Craft knife (I used scissors)
Con-Tact paper or paint (optional)

1. Cut the board in half horizontally. Set one half aside if you plan to make just one. Lay the other half face down. To make it easy to fold even when stocked with hanging supplies, pencil a vertical line parallel to each existing fold, 2 inches closer to the center. Using the yardstick as a guide, score the lines, cutting through only the top layer of the card board.




2. Fold along the scored lines. Cover the back with Con-Tact paper or paint, if desired.

(I let the kids decorate with paint how ever they wanted.)






Add the supplies:
Use glue dots to affix clothespins to one side for holding important papers and notes. (I used super glue.)
Adhere magnets with hot glue (or super glue) to scissors, the back of a stapler, and other frequently used supplies. Line them up along a ruler/magnet strip, with more magnets and a magnetic clip.
Use adhesive-backed Velcro dots to attach supplies that need to be easily removed: the ruler/magnet strip, a clock, a calculator, a sticky-note dispenser, and a pencil box.
Hang a zip-close binder pouch from an adhesive hook to hold small supplies.
Affix a small cork square for displaying photos or notes, using hot glue or adhesive supplied with the square.

I used a strip of magnet from the craft store and it doesn't hold the scissors, pencil sharpener or stapler. I will have to find a better solution! I also could not find a pencil box, I just put everything in the binder pouch. I used a magnetic dry erase board instead of the cork square. I think it really turned out great!! Here are pictures of the kids working on their stations and the final product.



Mr. A's homework station



Miss E's homework station

So last time I wrote, I said that I would share my homework kit. I was having such a hard time getting my son to do homework a few years ago. He would cry, I would cry. Maybe even more than him. I just didn't know what to do. When I don't know what to do I read and educate myself. I found this great book called Homework Without Tears by Lee Canter. When I read the book the first thing I did was make a homework kit for my son. I put everything into a basket so we wouldn't have to go searching for anything! Which can cause frustration and distraction. Here are the lists for the homework kits.

Grades K-3
Crayons
Pencils
Markers
Pencil sharpener
Erasers
Glue or paste
Tape
Writing paper
Hole punch
Stapler
Scissors
Children's dictionary
Paper clips
Assignment book (3rd grade)


Grade 4-6
Pencils
Pens
Colored pencils
Crayons
Markers
Pencil sharpener
Erasers
Glue or paste
Tape
Writing paper
Construction paper
Hole punch
Stapler
Scissors
Paper clips
White out
Assignment book
Folders for reports
Index cards
Intermediate dictionary
Atlas
Thesaurus
Almanac
Rubber bands

Of course, add or take out whatever you may or many not need. Keep it next to the area where your child does homework. If you love this idea check out the book! It has other ideas for rewards and the 7 most common homework problems with step by step solutions.

Another busy day today! We went back to the allergist. The nurse just looked at my sons back and said that everything looked the same, but the egg patch had some irritation. We have to go back next week to do the scratch test. We both are not looking forward to it. It hurts really bad! Then we were off to get that x ray we didn't get to do on Tuesday. We were in and out of both places really quick! We then tried to do some school uniform shopping, which was a bust. We did find a birthday present for Grandpa Pete! Then we went to Blockbuster and the library.

Before I knew it lunch was over and it was time to head to the school for flight night. My son starts middle school and my daughter starts kindergarten. I can't believe it! We have huge supply lists. I took all of my sons things in first and met the teacher. Of course we had to go around and visit everyone else. Then we took my daughters supplies in and met her teacher. I really love them so far, they are both new. Anyway then we had to return some various books to here and there, pay some fees and get my daughters uniform shirts. I was so excited because they had some matching hair accessories! Oh, the ex-PTA president started a silk screen company. She was selling college t-shirts for $7. You could pick your college and a gray or white shirt. My daughter picked out Colorado with a ram. I don't know who it is, I don't keep up on this stuff. I asked why that one and she said she liked the horns on the ram. Funny girl! At least two things are off my to do list for tomorrow! I am so glad this day is over. After the kids went to bed I got their homework kits together. More on that tomorrow.

Today started bright and early. I got a few chores done and then we were off to take the patches off at the allergist. My son asked the nurse if I could take them off and they said yes. It was really hard. Those band aids really stuck to his skin. I felt so bad, but I used water and soap to help as much as I could, but most of it I just had to rip off. Here is a picture of his back tonight. OUCH! The nurse said that chicken looked the worst and the oats, corn and peanuts looked a little irritated. We will have to see what it looks like tomorrow because it can change over 24 hours.



In the afternoon. We head off to the counseling center. My son meets with his counselor while I work with a behavior coach. I really like her and she has great ideas, not just for my son, but for the whole family. I can already tell a difference for us! We have already set up a contract about rules and chores. It has really helped me to have the kids help with 3 daily chores every morning. We also have set up a "safe area" for the children to sit in when they start to get angry or sad or just need a place to go to think or be alone. We will be adding more ideas as we go along. She will work with us at home and also at school. I don't know what goes on in the counseling with my son. I know they do play therapy and sometimes I see what is going on in his mind. Really neat concepts. He's working it out in his own way! Today his counselor gave us a list of rules for his sessions. We have been seeing her for a year and so I think he was shocked to hear these rules. Pretty much she expects him to get to the room quickly, use the bathroom and get a drink in a reasonable amount of time, and stay in her line of sight. If not he will be having time taken off of their session. I think this is a great idea and are great goals for him!!

Anyone who knows me also knows that I deal with food allergies with my son. We went in for a check up last week and have gotten a new doctor. I find out that she wants to retest all of the food. This includes a blood test, patch test and scratch test. Ugh! It can't be true. My son has anxiety about the blood and scratch test as soon as he hears the words. I have anxiety because I have more to do the two weeks before school starts. But we are both happy to hear that an endoscopy is not needed this time around!
So we got the blood test done right away. I make an appointment to make sure we don't sit in the waiting room forever and my son getting more and more worked up about what is about to happen. A lady waiting tells me she had an appointment for an hour ago. So I decide I am not going to wait that long. I plan my words out carefully. When I am called up to fill out papers I say "I hear there is an hour wait time." I am told yes. "Why is that?" I am told they are short on staff. "Well, I made an appointment. Don't you take people with an appointment at their appointment time? Ahead of the people who walk in?" Then I go on about how my son has anxiety problems and I made the appointment so he wouldn't have to deal with waiting. So guess what? They take me back right away after the lady who had been waiting for an hour! I was so glad that I said something.
Now fast forward to this week. Yesterday we go back to the allergist to get the patches put on. These are sticky paper strips with a metal disk in the middle to hold the food on the back for 24 to 48 hours. We leave after 10 minutes, everything is fine and stuck on well. We then are off to see the pediatrician because asthma has become a problem again. I can't believe what I am hearing from the Doctor! I need to take him in for valley fever tests! Chest x rays and a blood test. Not another blood test! Well, by the time we get home the patches are falling off. It's hot and humid. I try my best to use the extra tape they sent home with me, but it's just not working! I try band aids, not working. After dinner I go to CVS and the pharmacist suggests a super adhesive band aid. It works better, but not perfect (which you know is what I want). But I am so done messing with this. This is what his back looks like tonight.




So today I had to go in for the valley fever x ray and blood test. I have to walk into the x ray place and wait. I make sure to ask them if the patches with the metal disks will affect the x ray. The receptionist tells me they won't. They are really nice and tell me it will be 45 minutes to an hour wait and I can leave and come back. So I take the kids to a McDonald's across the street to play. That was so nice! When I get back we are called in and I ask the x ray tech about the food allergy patches. She told me that she would have to take them off and then to the x ray. I tell her "Oh no! We can't take them off. I will just have to come back." Do you know how frustrated I am at this point? But I don't loose it and I leave and will have to go back later this week now. We do get the blood test done and we are done for the day! By the way, I am super proud of my son! He did both blood tests without going crazy, which usually happens when needles are involved. He got rewarded with a movie rental both times.
More tomorrow because we get the patches off! YIPPEE!!

So, this is my blog! All about me and my perfectionist tendencies. I am hoping that I can laugh at the crazy things I do! I want to accept myself for who I really am. A stressed out (sometimes angry) perfectionist. Can I change and become more happy and relaxed? I really hope so!