Been awhile again...

Well to be honest I have either been too busy or just plain could not think of anything to blog about. :) One of the things that has kept us busy is Hunter has been doing wrestling since October and with two practices a week plus the tournaments and stuff on the weekends it has kept us busy. He is really enjoying it though! He won the last two weekend events he participated in. He was so cute with his medal that he got at the Turkey Tournament he wore it for 3 days. Last weekend at the event he participated in the head coach came over to hubby and told them that the coaches all liked Hunter and want him on advanced next year so he was pretty psyched to hear that.

Krista has been working hard on her bronze award for girlscouts, and also she joined the leadership team at church and this past weekend she and the leadership team went to a nursing home and sang Christmas carols. She loved that. She is also taking a literature class through our homeschool coop and a science class. All her other studies we still do at home and she is doing very well at it. She is finally liking Math a little bit since I did away with the traditional counters and replaced them with holiday M&M's to help her learn her multiplication. She is a very visual kid so it is helpful to have manipulatives. I love homeschooling for this very reason. Name a secular classroom that is going to let a child switch around curriculum and ideas to fit their individual learning styles. :) She is about 3 weeks ahead in her studies so far, and the child that was labeled as having a "reading disability" in first grade is currently in 4th grade and reading at 6th and sometimes 7th grade level and loving books.

Joey is doing awesome this year. He has worked so hard on his sensory issues. We made the tough and painful decision to allow him to go back to school part time in order for him to get extra speech and occupational therapy time. I am ok with it only because he has an IEP (individualized education plan) and everything is set up on my terms and I know I have the power to pull him out if it starts to be a bad thing. But I am happy to say he got his wonderful teacher he had in preschool who is now teaching the sails program that he is in and the two therapists he has are the same ones he has had for the last two years (he was going to the school for ot and speech only) and he has a helper when he spends time in a regular second grade classroom and he is loving it. Plus he is now the "cool kid with a dog" since his serivce dog Daisy goes with him. We are so blessed to have Daisy she really helps with Joey and even when he has meltdowns once in awhile she will help calm him down. But anyway add all this extra help plus his outside speech and OT at the wonderful therapy center in Kent and he is just making progress in spades which is good because our plan is to keep him in where he is at until he is caught up to where he should be and then I will bring him home again. He only goes half a day now 4 days a week but I still miss him. I am probably too attached but you know what? God gave me these great kids and for me having them with me is the best thing. Plus hubby has a somewhat flexible schedule so he gets home fairly early and helps with the fun curriculum like science. Oh and the best news is Joey has been seizure free since June! We are hoping that stays that way...the closer to two years we get the better chance he has of completely outgrowing them. His ears are all healed so I think this is just his year to shine and I am finally getting my happy boy back that he was when he was little. The last two years were very tough on him.

Moving on ...hubby is doing great in his job and loves it, and I am still babysitting for a sweet little girl who I have had for almost two years now and also in this spring her parents are adding a new little one and we don't know what the gender is yet they want to be surprised so I will have two extra little ones.

Well this turned out long again...guess that is what happens when I take so long to post. lol In any case if I don't get back here before Christmas then I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

hugs,
the Cheerio Queen

tip....

I have not done a works for me wednesday in FOREVER...but I was intrigued to see that Shannon at Rocks in my dryer has a christmas toy edition! Be sure to check it out!

Here is my choices:

My most favorite is actually not a toy but I always ask the grandparents for a family membership to a place like a museum, aquarium, zoo etc. The last two years we have received a membership to the local science center and I absolutely love it! The reason is there is always at least one or two new exhibits, plus the regular stuff so the kids are always interested, we go several times a year, and it does not take up space in my house! :)

Aside from that I would highly recommend if you have room for one a giant trampoline with a safety net! Now I know when we first received ours my husband and I were totally freaked out due to hearing all the scary stories about people breaking limbs on them etc. Plus the people I was hearing that from were overly paranoid weirdos anyway lol. aquaintences with opinions you know. Anyway let me tell you...my kids all learned their balance on that thing, and adults can get on it too. We love it, plus when the kids are really rowdy then we just send them to the trampoline and they jump their energy out etc. One of my boys is quite the little gymnast and he has been jumping on our trampoline since he was a year old.
Recently the kids finally wore it out and it only took a measly 5.5 years of jumping daily for literally 60 minutes at a time to do it. Poor things were devastated that it wore out. So we are looking for a new one.

I love art supplies too.

Till next time,
The cheerio queen

This is for GINA....

So I keep getting in trouble with my friends because I am not updating my blog enough so since it has been a month or so i decided to update finally. lol!! Just kidding Gina. :) I saw your tag on facebook that said you were tired of people not updating their blogs so this post is for you. :)

Seriously it has been a busy month as always. We started out the month by getting a video EEG done for Joey. He is thankfully doing very well. He has not had a seizure other then two tiny staring seizures since June. Please keep him in your prayers because the closer he gets to two years seizure free the better chance he has of growing out of them. Besides after talking more in depth with his neurologist he explained to me that the kinds he was having before for the length of time he had them was having them...4 to 5 minutes each, is like taking a sledgehammer to his brain EACH one. It takes weeks and even months to recover from that which explains some of the developmental delays he was having, however the doc also said it is amazing that he did not suffer permanent brain damage from them. So someone upstairs is watching out for us thankfully! He is learning by leaps and bounds this year and his speech is so much better and so is his communication. His ears are also completely healed so no more tubes either. YAY! This poor boy has had a rough couple years but he is starting to get back to the happy boy I once had and is healing well. He wants to join a cubscout pack so I will be looking for that next.

Hunter is awesome, he is really excited that he is learning to read now. He is a super whiz at math. He did not get that from me, he must have gotten it from his Dad. I cannot do anything without a calculator. He recently started wrestling. Anyone who knows Hunter is probably right now shaking their head saying "wow...what a perfect sport for him" and it is and he is good at it! He has always been very athletically gifted. He was so excited to start and even more excited when he took down 7 kids before he got beat. You must remember how little Hunter is. He is short and stalky. In fact my Grandma calls him "sherman" for sherman tank. He is a tank that boy. But he is still my cuddly little man. I love how he is rough and tough, wise and smart and very grown up one minute, but the next minute he is enlightening me with wise tales such as " Mom! Krista hit me hard....oh and if her says I pulled her hair and accidentally knocked over her bookshelf first....then her is lying" :)

Krista is 3 weeks ahead on her schoolwork, still working on her bronze award for girlscouts, and just joined leadership at church. She has really grown up this year. She is also pushing to be a teenager or to be allowed to act like a teenager with an attitude. lol She cannot figure out why Mom and Dad do not find that charming. lol She also cannot understand why we will not be getting her a cell phone at the ripe old age of 9 either. But aside from those few things she is doing great. She is into reading classics this year which thrills me to no end. If I hear one more junie b jones book I am going to scream. She is such a good big sister to her little brothers though and they adore her. She is looking forward to turning the big 10 in April (if you hear wailing around tax day that is me wondering how my baby girl turned that age so quickly) and is already planning her bday party and is really excited to get her own library card. A right of passage in our family.

Otherwise things are great. Halloween was really fun this year. As you can tell by the picture the older my boys get the more gross and scary their costumes get. Gone are the days of the cute costumes and cute decorations for the house, now it is a skeleton hanging by a noose kind of decor around here. yuck. At least I have Krista on my side. One of the houses had a dad who has a mini haunted house to go up and get candy from. This year he wore a scary clown mask and came out wielding a live chainsaw. The boys thought it was awesome, I am still peeling Krista off the ceiling however. She was not alone....none of the girls in our cul de sac made it to that house, and the guy with the chainsaw's own daughter refused to come out and go trick or treating she was too scared lol. poor girl.
We celebrated with some good friends of ours who live on acerage and have no place to trick or treat so they came over and we all went out together among the 65 other kids who were out with their parents. Luckily the rain stopped just as we were trick or treating..gotta love Washington on Halloween. Then we came back and fed the kids pizza, put them to bed and sorted out the goods. Boy we have some generous neighbors. lol The candy is now hidden properly until one of the kids has a bday and I can use it to fill a pinata or treat bag and get it out of the house. :)

Ok till next time!
The Cheerio Queen

HAPPY FALL!!

I know when asked most people will tell you their favorite season is Christmas and winter for the snow etc. However, not me. I LOVE Fall. It is so pretty and cozy. I cannot wait to get my first cup of carmel apple cider from Starbucks for the season.
This week will be a busy one or rather the next couple of days. Today is back to the week routine, school with the kids, then lunch, then take one of the two daycare kids to school, after that I have a meeting with our local district homeschool dept to sign up lucky charms, and Honey Nut for an extra class there. LC is taking a beginner art class where the description of the class included words such as: learn to "spin, blow, paint, squish, sculpt, create" I wanted to take that class it sounded so much fun but it is only for 1-3 graders...guess they have not seen me when I figured out that someone in the house ate the last of my chocolate lol. Honey Nut is going to be taking a science class and she is looking forward tot hat. Then tonight is girlscouts with Honey Nut. The girls are trying to earn their bronze award this year! To do that one of the things they have to do is earn their leadership pin. We leaders thought it would be helpful to them to let them each pick a patch they want to earn and then lead the meeting (with help and guidance from the leaders of course) so the girls drew numbers and Honey Nut drew number one so she gets to lead tonight and she is so excited! I will write more later on the patch she chose to earn and lead.
Because I have such a busy week I am going to do a fall meme...consider yourself tagged if your reading this. :)



A Fall Meme

When does fall begin for you? For me it starts when the kids start schoolwork again. Although I waited until we had done schoolwork for a week and then I could not resist and put up the fall decorations.

What is your favorite aspect of fall? Boy I don't have just one aspect. I love fall so here are some of the things I love most about it: The colors of the changing leaves, the clean crisp smell of the air, the cooler weathe, the shorter days, the scenet of pumpkin pie potpurri, the coziness of my house when I decorate it, Starbucks carmel apple cider, routine of the school year, planning Thanksgiving my favorite holiday, helping the kids search for the perfect Halloween costume, slowly starting to look for christmas gifts, putting the perfect comfy favorite sweater on with jeans, and the crafts that I do in the fall with the kids...the handmde "hand turkeys" etc.

What is your favorite fall memory? Taking the kids to the pumpkin patch.:)

What do you like to drink in the fall? nothing better then apple cider.

What's your favorite fall food? I love homemade pumpkin pie, apple crisp, pear or peach cobbler, a big pot of homemade stew, a big pot of vegetable beef or chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes....the list could go on for awhile.

What is fall weather like where you live? Well the first few weeks is usually crisp and cool in the morning and then warmer in the afternoons, and then in October it changes to colder and wet. However that being said, I love the cozy rainy Northwest days. It is much easier to homeschool then it is when it is 80 degrees and sunny lol.

What color is fall? beautiful shades of orange, dark and pale greens, and a touch of brown. It is like the perfect mixed boquet.

What does fall smell like? pumpkin, apple spice, wood smoke from the newly lit fireplaces around the neighborhood, and crisp and clean.

Holiday shopping in fall: yes or no? Yes, but it is usually online stuff, or if I am able to get away for a Saturday I might do some then. However I REFUSE to decorate for the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving. I get so annoyed that the stores put out Halloween stuff before summer is over, and they completely skip over Thanksgiving, unless they are a craft store or grocery store.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go? Although I love the Northwest fall because it is what I grew up with and feel comfy and familiar with...I have always wanted to go travel through New England for fall...I hear their fall splendor is the most beautiful in the world. :)

What is your favorite fall sport? I am not much of a sport fan, except for baseball but that is spring. However hubby who grew up in Texas has watching football in his blood. :) He is now a Seahawks fan.

Do you have a favorite fall chore? I love organizing the new school supplies, going through and putting away the summer clothes and putting away the new fall clothes, getting new pajamas for the kids, and putting flannel sheets on the bed and switching to my heaver comforter. Sort of like "battening down the hatches" for a cozy winter. :)

What is your least favorite thing about fall? Well I said earlier I like the cozy rainy days, however when they become endless and I have to get out in it that stinks. lol

What is your favorite fall holiday? Thanksgiving! That is my favorite holiday of all anyway becasue it is about being together and celebrating family and friends and not so much about the commercialness of Christmas. (I like Christmas but not all the stress that goes along with it)

What's your favorite kind of pie? Pumpkin with whipped cream.

What was your favorite Halloween costume? Ironically it was not a costume I wore, in fact it was two costumes I saw other people wear lol, as for one I wore, I loved being minny mouse when I was little i remember wearing the mouse ears hat I had gotten that summer when my family adn I went to Disneyland, and I thought the white gloves were so cool. Plus i had on a black leotard, black tights, and a red polka dotted skirt and the whole costume was completely homemade.
The ones I saw on other people I will mention because they were so cool. One was a playground attended in my old gradeschool and she dressed up as a Qtip..she had a long powder blue slender gown on paired with white fuzzy boots, and a tall white fuzzy hat. very creative. The other was a couple at a party once...she was a wall socket, and he was another wall socket with a plug coming out of the front and it plugged into her socket and they had a light above their heads somehow that twirled when they danced. awesome couple costume.

What was your favorite Halloween candy? candy corn

What was your least favorite Halloween candy? babe ruth

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair? both

Do you have a favorite fall book? One Little Mouse by Dori Chaconas all about "settling down" for winter. :) very cozy.

How about a favorite fall poem? not really

Well, I hope you enjoyed this meme, and if you do it at your blog, pease leave me a comment so I can start a list of links! :)

Happy Fall!

The Cheerio Queen

a fun meme

I have been busy getting the kids back into the swing of things with homeschooling but I am happy to report they are doing well! Trix is liking going to school part time and still getting homeschooled the rest of the time. Personally I think he just likes riding the bus and the fact that he gets to take Daisy with him. It is amazing how fast the kids want to become friends with the kid who brings a dog to school. lol
Lucky Charms is coming along in his handwriting, he is a whiz at math and is starting to read. Where did my sweet little baby go? He also loves that we currently watch a little boy who is the same age as him who also happens to share his real name! That is pretty funny in the house when I have to call out to my son and both boys look at me and say what?
Honey Nut is really getting into writing this year and I am totally thrilled with that. She is really gifted in that area, she is still working on her spelling though although I must admit I love the cute way she misspells things. I know as a homeschooling mom I should correct it right away but it is hard...you see this is a reminder that she is still my little girl. :)
Honey Nut will be taking a science course through the homeschooling program at our school district starting next week and lucky charms will be taking a beginner art class where he will get to learn "spinning, throwing, sculpting, painting and more" How cool is that?
As for me my website to my coaching business is finally up and running! Here is teh shameless link: www.solutionsforhope.com check it out when you can.
In the mean time here is a fun meme I pulled off another homeschooling site but I think it can apply to everyone! be sure and leave me a comment if you decide to do it. :)


FAVORITES:
Magazines/Carnivals - in print or online "mine would be family fun and parenting"
Freebie sites - "freecycle"
Homeschool news/informative : "any of the homeschool blogs"
Forums/book clubs : "don't spend a lot of time on these"
Networking, Blog “About” (sites that offer tech-support or tutorials for computer/internet) & Quick Links : "don't have one"
Mom site - a sites just for moms : "ivillage"
Inspirational/encouraging/motivational: "by sun and candelight blog"
Youth/kid - sites geared towards youth/kids or owned by them : "yahoo kids"
Memes : "wherever I find them"
Organizing/crafts - "the organizing junkie" www.orgjunkie.com
Homemaking/Homesteading : "by sun and candlelight" and "simple woman" both are blogs
Bible-focused - "my friend jessica's site...she posts about a lot of things but when she posts regarding the bible it is so cool"
Homeschool Method - Charlotte mason, and the "hodgepodge" style lol
Family blog - The Duggar Family blog
Businesses, particularly homebased : I don't know.

Another new post...

So it was awhile but not as long as the last time I went without posting lol. :) Things here are busy and school is starting again for the kids..homeschool that is. We are just waiting for our books to arrive. But we have started back into the routine again which I must say feels really good! I am enjoying the cooler weather mainly because fall is my favorite season of the year. I think I might just put up the fall decor today! Bring on the Starbucks Carmel apple cider woohoo! Otherwise nothing huge is new here. Trix lost another tooth, and he has two more that are very loose, he has two already missing...two more and he will be ready to join a hockey team. Lucky Charms is getting older but is still short. lol He just turned 6 on me. He thinks he is about 25 and invinsible. He already has an eye for girls...or should I say ladies. He actually asked me the other day if I would put gel in his hair and make it look handsome "for the ladies" those were his actual words. I am hoping the doc will just prescribe me percocet over the phone. Honey Nut is getting very tall and making dear old mom feel old. She is 9 now and thinks she is a teenager and has lately been testing out the "talking back gene" to which she has been met with dead ends. lol She is strikingly beautiful and the neighborhood boys are starting to notice, and she is noticing boys as well...at the rate she is going I bet she will be married by 10. Hmmm maybe I should call the doc and ask for something a bit stronger then percocet a sledgehammer to knock me out maybe? Either way she is a very lovely young lady who is just sweet. Love that girl and her persitance. :)

Outside My Window ... The sun is coming out and I am seeing steam off the roofs of the houses in my neighborhood.
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I am thinking ... about the meetings I have today.
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I am thankful ... for routine again
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From the kitchen ... porkchops are in the crockpot for dinner.
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I am wearing ... dark pinks sweatpants, and a light pink hoodie that says Seaside on it. :)
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I am creating ... picture schedules for Trix, and chore charts for all the kids.
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I am reading ... Curing the 4A's epidemic, ADHD, Allergies, Autism, and Asthma
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I am hoping ... the meeting this afternoon will go well.
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I am hearing ... The neighborhood kids walking up to the bus stop and secretly being happy that my own little ones stay home with me all day to homeschool. :)
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Around the house ... I'm doing some laundry, and starting to put up some fall decorations for the season.
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One of my favorite things ... chocolate.
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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: ... Trix starts new more intense therapy at his therapy center, finish up the first official week of school, and hubby has his company picnic on Saturday.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing....

I make it a point to NOT get political on my blog, however I will say this little gal certainly got my attention when she appealed to soccer moms and moms with special needs kids. :) That is all I will say about that.
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I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Ten Things Tuesday....

Here is a new meme I ran across that talks about ten things your thankful for and I love that idea. :) Oh and on a side note before I start the meme check out this article I was in! http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/11/stay.at.home.moms.economy.ap/index.html?iref=24hours


Anyway...Here goes:

1. I am thankful for the chance to be in an article about stay at home moms to show that it is possible in this declining economy to still stay at home and be happy.

2. I am thankful for my husband and wonderful children

3. I am thankful for friends and family who are always supportive

4. I am thankful that God blessed me with a child with special needs which has led me to a new career from home, and also with the chance to remember what is really important in life.

5. I am thankful for chocolate

6. I am thankful for my son's service dog who now allows hubby and I to be able to have some peace of mind and sleep. ;)

7. I am thankful for the great weather we have been having

8. I am thankful for these hard economic times to remind us what is really important in life

9. I am thankful for mindless entertainment like reality tv lol. ok you know you watch it too.

10.I am thankful that my family and I are all healthy.

ok well that is it for my first ten things tuesday..how did I do?

the cheerio queen

Happy Birthday Lucky charms!

Ok so this is a bit late as LC's actual birthday was a week ago but I was waiting till his party to post about it so I could post pictures. :)

Lucky Charm's is my "baby" it is easy to think of him that way despite the fact that he turned 6 on me. You see his is short, he has alwasy been our "little man" but I have always said that what he lacks in height he more then makes up for in personality! This sweet little man is tough, but very sensitive. He loves his mommy and daddy cuddles still and for that I am grateful. :) He is incredibly smart, funny, charming,and a joy to be around. You have to remember this is the same boy who made his own business at age 4 selling golfballs back to the golfers on our golf course. Last year he made a total of 176.00 in one summer. This summer he has made well over 200. I have always admired his persistance, and focus, and drive. When he wants something he does not give up until he gets it or at least exhausts all possiblilites of getting it, hence the 1969 chevelle he has been pushing for. Hey the kid has taste. :) Being that his Grandpa owns one I am not surprised.

We have always been a bit worried though...you see he is an amazing little flirt and can charm just about anyone. The other day I was fighting the urge to want to smack this little girl who was all of about 6 or 7 herself as i noticed she took a shine to Lucky charms at the park and followed him everywhere! Someone should really tell her mom that she needs to practice the art of playing hard to get with her daughter instead of chasing a boy. seriously. lol I am sure he will have lots of girlfriends. He usually prefers older girls however. He has a crush on a 16 year old at our church it is so cute he is just sure he is going to marry her. Hey the girl is beautiful so at least he has taste. His father and I about died the other day when he asked me to "make his hair handsome" so that "the ladies would like it" yes he actually used the term "the ladies" at six.

oh well the joy of raising him is totally worth it. We are never bored. He is the most amazing little guy a mom could want. Both hubby and I have had a lot of fun with him! We look forward to many more years of joey.
Happy Birthday Little Man!

For you Jessica! lol....

Or really anyone who reads my blog. :) I have a friend named Jessica who goes to my church, actually she is the reason I checked out my current church. She is our worship leader and has the most beautiful voice. I have known her since highschool and she was an amazing singer then. I always thought she would be a pop star. lol. Instead she is a devoted wife, mommy, and child of God. She also gets everyone she knows addicted to blogging and she got me to start a blog. However she also was the one recently who noticed I have not been blogging much at all lately and she mentioned it at church or rather scolded me..."ya know Jen it has been FOREVER since you updated your blog" lol just kidding jess. :) So for Jess I am updating. :)

So this summer has been one of relaxing and fun for a change. Usually I have extra daycare kids in the summer and never go anywhere and I am so busy. However this year with me closing the daycare and going down to just one family with one little girl my schedule has been a lot lighter, once we finished up the extra schoolwork we needed to get caught up. We started k12.com late this year so the kids did not finish at the same time the school year ended. However after some extra work we have spent much of the summer at the park, library, doing crafts at the house, etc. We also took a 3 day trip to Seaside which is a new favorite for us! We will definitely go back, we stayed at a hotel right on the beach and even though the weather was not warm yet the kids still could not resist getting their feet wet in the ocean, and we did lots of swimming in the swimming pool at the hotel. This was also the kids first time in a jacuzzi they loved the "warm bubbly bath" boy did they sleep great that night! Joey still has his therapies during the summer for occupation and speech but otherwise it has been low key. I have to be honest not felt like blogging much. But never fear the new school year is almost here and I am sure I will have more stuff to blog about.

So far this summer the only big news is that Lucky Charms moved to the "big kids" class at church, he is going into the first grade which makes me sad because he is my "baby" he is so short that it is easy to think of him as younger then he is. He will be 6 on Saturday :( He is very excited though.

Trix luckily has had his seizures minimize quite a bit. He is not having them near as much as he used too. Last year was a tough year with him and all the seizures and the sensory issues etc. After a lot of research and scheduling and rescheduling , praying etc. we have a new schedule set up for him this year for school etc. He is entering a year of intense occupational and speech therapy that will hopefully help him make some big progress and get up to or close to where he should be. He is still far behind where he needs to be but I have faith that he is going to be fine and can recover from his delays but it will take work...lots of work.

Honey Nut has been just a sweetheart this year. She recently went to summer camp for church and really had a good time. We sure missed her though. She graduated from brownie to junior in girlscouts this last spring which means that she now wears a green uniform instead of a brown one. Good thing these girls had outgrown their brownie vests. These girls have been together since they were in kindergarten and now they are going into the 4th grade.

I figured out the school year for this coming season. The Honey Nut and lucky Charms will be doing k12 again in the morning for the basic subjects...math, reading, writing, language arts etc. and Trix will be attending school in the morning hours only for half a day 4 days a week. He needs the 5th day for his outside therapies (meaning therapies not at school) then in the afternoon after lunch and during quiet time we will be doing a unit study to cover geography, history, art, science and even PE for all three kids. The unit we chose this year was one I made up on my own because I like to combine different activity ideas. We will be studying the 50 states this year. The kids will learn all the capitols, learn the state bird or flower, learn how to find it on a map, the history of the state, cook a native recipe from the state etc. The great thing about unit studies is I can offer activites for each of the kids learning level. It will be a busy year but hey I like to keep busy otherwise I get into trouble. :)

well this is turning into a novel but here is my update for the past little bit. I will not say when I will blog again because everytime I do then it becomes months before I blog again so maybe if I don't say anything then I will blog more? who knows. in the mean time here is a couple pics of the kids having fun this summer. :)

Till next time,
The Cheerio Queen





the kids at seaside.

lucky charms

Trix

Honey Nut

the view from our window

Been awhile I know...

So it has been forever since I posted but I have been so busy and just kind of fell off the blogger trail. I am slowly coming back but dont' want to promise anything because I always make grand plans and then life takes me other routes lol. Here is a meme that I think is supposed to be done on Mondays but I am doing mine today to get started back into blogging. ;)

Outside My Window ...It is raining and grey ( I thought this was supposed to be June)
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I am thinking ... about making blueberry muffins and fruit for breakfast.
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I am thankful for ... my family and the Seaside getaway we had this last weekend (I will post about it later)
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From the kitchen ... some new gluten free recipes in the crockpot I found.
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I am wearing ... Jeans, a pastel pink hooded sweatshirt, and a pony tail.
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I am creating ... another journal...I have one for everything it seems like.
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I am going ... to go pick up a food dehyrdator today to make homemade fruit rollups.
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I am reading ... Louder than Words by Jenny McCarthy...what a great book whether or not your child is autistic (mine is not)it is more a story about a mothers incredible love for her child. (boy is her son lucky)
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I am hoping ... for some sun, or at least for it to dry up enough today for Honey Nuts bridging ceremony tonight to be held at the park.
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I am hearing ... the pitter patter of rain, the daycare kids laughing at wow wow wubbzy, and the sweet sound of my daughter coming downstairs just now and saying "hi mommy"
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Around the house ... I am trying to finish up the school year, researching how to get my son into a great program I found to help him with his sensory issues and how to afford it, and I am doing laundry catchup.
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One of my favorite things ... is reading and taking notes from what I learned in books, and planning for a new school year.
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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: ... last brownie meeting of the year for Honey nut, searching for a cubscout troop for the boys, searching for swimming lessons as well, try and get my house in order, and doing some cooking and baking ahead (since the weather is yucky anyway) to freeze for hoepfully a warm summer ahead. lol
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing ...
My heart :)


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I hope you all have a wonderful day!

finally updated...

Honey nut with her American Girl Doll...Julie Albright

Ok so I was going to blog several times this week because I had a bunch of topics in mind, but then lots wound up happening this week and well...it is now Friday and I am doing an "update" post lol.

First I must say last weekend was GORGEOUS here! It was close to 80 on Saturday which is very warm for our neck of the woods this time of year, and to ring that comment true, the weather forecastesr are predicting SNOW tomorrow, also unusual for this time of year. Weird. In any case, while Cheerio Dad worked out in the yard getting it ready for the summer, I spring cleaned the whole upstairs of the house because Friday I did downstairs. I smelled a lot of bbq's that afternoon...weanies...my husband bbq's year round here. lol I have seen that man out there in snow buttoned up in a jacket where you could only see his eyeballs grilling a steak. Once from Texas always from Texas I guess.

So I had plans to blog Monday but got busy wtih some appts. Then Tuesday I had a grand plan to do a post entirely dedicated to my daughter Honey Nut since she turned 9! However Cheerio Dad came home with the flu (the cold flu that is)shaking and with a fever. Our plans to go out to the birthday dinner was switched to chinese takeout instead. Hubs felt so bad his tradition is to take the kids out and let them pick out their special bday present, although this year Honey Nut really wanted an American Girl Doll so we ordered it online since we do not live near an American Girl Store. Bless her heart...she is NINE wow! She is my first baby and my only girl and what a girly girl she is! She is still in love with horses...I am just sure in a prior life she was a horse. She is going to have a tea party for her birthday this year and that is ok with me because it means she is still very much my "little girl" even though she wants desperately to be a teenager. For some reason she has it stuck in her pretty little head that being a teenager entitles her to have all adult priveldges...not sure where that idea came from. Poor misguided little thang. ha. But nevertheless she is our baby girl and always will be. I remember bringing her home from the hospital and the length of her head down to her foot entirely fit in my forearm. Now she is dangerously close to my height although she has a few more inches to go but not long! Happy birthday baby girl!

Wednesday Cheerio Dad was still sick and so he was home from work all day. We did a bunch of schoolwork. and Trix had speech therapy.

Thursday Cheerio dad was STILL sick and getting whinier by the minute. I had closed down the daycare for the day as I had a dentist appt to get a cavity filled which turned into a root canal...lucky me. Then I came back let the babysitter go home, and then went fed the kids lunch, and went to the school to have a meeting with a team of specialist who were trying to determine if Trix really needed the full evaluation done on him again as it has only been 2 years. They fully intended to talk me out of it I think but I got them to do all of it. He does have two really good therapists. It is just that because he is homeschooled and oh I am only his mom does the school decide they need a meeting with me to decide IF he needs testing. grrr. what do I know? Then I came home and discovered that when Lucky Charms had hurt his foot earlier in the day it was still swelling so I got to take him and the other two kids to urgent care for xray's again ...lucky me. And truly if you know Lucky Charms you would know that it is only by the grace of God almighty himself that the boy is not in a full body cast yet. This is a kid with NO fear at all. Luckily it is a combo of a bruised bone in his foot and also a sprain, so while he is hopping around the house on one foot, he did not break it so no cast...this time.

I was so tired after all that stuff yesterday that I did not blog, and frankly I was so tired I couldn't sleep so I finally got to sleep around a quarter to 12. For mommies that is like staying up all night. Then at 3am today I was woken to a loud beeping sound it startled me. You see I have been camping out on the couch downstairs because unlike hubs I don't have the luxury of being able to lay around for 4 days with the flu, so I am trying to avoid it like the plague, he is of course being a big baby about it. "you don't love me..I am dying...I see the light" I suppose it was not nice that after finding out the beeping was him beeping the radio on my cell phone to get me to come up to bring him medicine and listen to him whine, I simply said "fine go towards the light I can use the insurance". remember it was THREE in the morning ...whatever don't judge me.

As for today hubs is STILL sick and is running a high fever. I really do feel bad for the poor guy. He has not been to work since Tuesday and he NEVER misses work. I am doing laundry to try and give him some fresh clean sheets to hopefully make his comfort level better. No he is not sick like that at least it is not a stomach bug, but he does have a pounding headache and high fever and body aches. And frankly I did feel a little guilty for being so short with him this morning at dark thirty but nevertheless I have been checking on him with cold washcloths, and water, and anything he wants to eat. AT least he is eating. All that said, my weekend should be fun. lol But at least now you know why I have not blogged this week, hopefully next week will be better.

till next time,
The Cheerio Queen

Because i cannot think of anything better to blog about...

I am going to steal the same idea that my blogging friend "I should be doing laundry" had today and blog about the "New Kids on the Block" Ok so I used to own one of their pillows...whatever don't judge me. I still think their music was good and they were cute. I used to call myself their "biggest fan" until the first season of Dancing with the stars came up and Joey McIntyre was on it and I realized I had forgotten all about them. I had a huge crush on Joey when I was younger. The fact that they are all men now I think all of them or most all of them are married and have kids does make me feel old. You see a lot of the youngsters out there think that the Backstreet Boys and N'sync were the beginning of the boy bands. Not so. The New Kids on the Block paved the way (ok so there was a few others before their time too but I don't want to age myself too much) Either way...will I be going to one of their concerts? Probably not, but you can bet I will be listening to their new CD. I still think they are cute! Although, Jordan I thought was a little sleazy on the Surreal Life (hey I had the flu the day they had a surreal life marathon and there was nothing on so I watched) but I digress...They at the time were a fun concert.I must admit with all the hype in the news lately I have had the songs Step by Step and Hangin Tough running in my head all day. Maybe if I download those and workout to those my daughter won't go into the witness protection program like she attempted to do when I worked out to "sexyback" by Justin Timberlake. In any case if you look at the above pictures you will see why so many of us original NKOTB fans feel so old. Just look at the difference! At least they all still look like boys..I'm just sayin.
Have a great weekend!

The Cheerio Queen

Miss Bimbo??....Man the internet is scary,

Ok I just have to post about it. I was reading the news today and came across a disturbing article regarding a new "virtual fashion game" called "Miss Bimbo" In this game girls are encouraged to become the "most famous or coolest bimbo they know" The site is aimed directly at girls ages 7-17! They can even give their virtual bimbo's breast implants and diet pills. GRRR Sorry this really ticks me off. Not surprising the creator is a 23 year old male who probably does not have kids. According to the statistics over 1 million girls between the ages of 7-17 access this site. How sad is that? The internet is such a scary place. It used to be cool. I mean I am somewhat of an internet nerd. Meaning I access it for schoolwork for the kids (k12.com) and I use it for email, I blog obviously, and I even have a myspace. (although I am considering deleting that too because there is so many sick people on there)
What scares me is the fact that my 8 year old could easily type in the word "barbie" in google to find a barbie doll game site to play, but it will pull up all sorts of trashy sites with pictures. It is way to easy for kids to accidentally access sites that they should not see, even with these so called "net nanny services". My daughter recently was playing a littlest petshop game and managed to wind up clicking on pop ups and came to toysrus and was "shopping" online by telling me everything she wanted. My husband and I are very careful about watching the kids on the computer and making sure we monitor what they are playing or looking at, but geez. she already knows about myspace and is begging us for her own myspace page. Hubs and I absolutely are not going to ever let that happen, too many scary people, perverts, not to mention the cyber bullying that is now going on those pages. For instance I saw a story yesterday of a boy who has been picked on so much that his family is suing one of the bullies for making up a fake myspace page titled everyone hates "childs name" .
I think I am going to go back to the dinosaur age and just put only games on that are on cd and only after hubs and I have previewed it of course. They wonder why we have so many insecure kids these days. How sad.

ok I am done with my rant for the day lol. I must go now and make the kids a hot breakfast, (I will explain in another post later how I am on a strike from buying cereal around here lol) It snowed last night! Gee I was wondering when it was going to snow I mean it is afterall MARCH. The kids are really looking forward to playing outside in it but I insisted they eat breakfast first lol. Later on in the day we are going to be delivering Meals on Wheels which the kids are looking forward to. :)
Hope you all have a good day!
The Cheerio Queen

Happy Easter!...

Have you ever seen a happier boy? Trix got to meet Daisy his new dog that I wrote about earlier. She spent a little time with us today visiting. She is going to have about another week of training and by next week she should be here to stay. While she is a little unsure becuase she has not been socialized with a bunch of kids yet she is very very sweet. Trix is quickly learning confidence, and is doing pretty well. I can tell this will be a task getting him to where he needs to be with her but they will find their way. :)
Hope you all are having a great Easter. This year our church held 2 services instead of one. We went to the early one so we would be home in time to have our visit with Daisy. However the kids had a blast at church today. The inflatables were up in Sunday school for the kids to play on, and also there was the annual easter egg hunt. The kids loved that.

Well that is all for now!
The Cheerio Queen

Ok trying again...

I have been trying to post for a few days. Grrr I have spent time taking pictures to show you of my latest toy...ooops I mean kitchen gadget. I finally got a new Chef's knife last week along with a new whisk, and new tongs so I can quit burning myself trying to flip tortillas in hot oil in order to make tostadas. I am one happy girl. I know I am a nerd...it takes so little to make this Momma happy. My husband considers himself so lucky that I actually LIKE to get stuff for my kitchen or new household appliances and gadgets. On our first anniversary he got me a rice cooker. I thought I had married a prince. My mom thought I was nuts. She said if my dad ever got her an appliance he would be wearing it permanently fixed on his head. :) Anyway aside from some new kitchen gadgets that is about all that is exciting here. I know we are such partiers.One cute story I thought you Momma's would appreciate was last week when I took the kids on a trail walk and my youngest son was looking in awe at a tree and I asked what he was looking at, just as a jogger passed he said loudly I see a "nosepicker" momma! Once I looked i realized he actually saw a WOODPECKER. I think somewhere I still here the jogger laughing. Oh I had to tell you about the outfit my daughter chose to wear to the store yesterday. I am trying to be one of those cool Mom's who lets them have some freedom of choice in what they wear. I do however have to be a bit "uncool" and insist that she wear clean clothes, and no belly showing. sorry but I am still old fashioned enough to believe that no 8 year old should be showing off their "goodies" by wearing belly tees, low cut halter tops, daisy duke show your bunnies shorts etc. I guess the ultra cool mom award will have to go to Lynne Spears. 'nuff said. :) Anyway I digress. Honey nut chose to pair a pink and yellow and white horizontal striped shirt, paired wisely with a burgandy and plaid skirt,a pastel pink cardigan, white tights, and for the best accessory she chose pink rainboots with purple hearts on them. Stand Back Boys she is my daughter. She of course waited until we went into the store and were waiting in line to check out to ask me rather loudly..."So Mom what do you think of my outfit? I have been asking you since we left the house and you never answered?" Of course all the people in line who looked at her with a humerous grin up until now...switched to giving me death ray looks..as if I was a horrible mom for not answering the important question. Even the mom with the 10 year old son with his finger shoved up his nose, and had so many piercings I was thinking of asking if I could use him to drain my spaghetti. Anyway I finally answered Honey Nut. "Honey your outfit is very colorful and there is no way I could lose you in a store and that is very important to me..wise choice in clothes" I looked back at the lady with the son and she had actually given me a funny grin as if to say "so that is what you should say when you have a kid like mine?" I just got of smiled and gave her a look that said Don't judge me. We Mommas can be so cynical sometimes.



So I got this bulletin on myspace yesterday from a friend of mine and honestly girls this is the funniest thing I have seen in years! I copied and pasted it here for you to read. Oh and please do me a favor and don't have any food or drink in your mouth when you read it. It is Friday and frankly I am too tired to wipe your food off my screen. :) Have a great weekend and Happy Easter!!!!


THE WORKOUT ROUTINE

This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular
workout routine.



Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of
personal training at the local health club for me.


Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football
cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and
give it a try.



I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named
Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics ins tructor and
model for athletic clothing and swim wear.



My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club
encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.



MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m.. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well
worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me.


She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a
dazzling white smile.

Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the
machines.

I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her
aerobics class after my workout today.

Very inspiring! Belinda was
encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from
holding it in the whole time she was around.

This is going to be a FANTASTIC
week!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door.



Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air t h en
she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I
made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile.

I feel
GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.



WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter
and moving my mouth back and forth over it.

I believe I have a hernia in
both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop.

I
parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.



Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club
members.

Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when
she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying My chest hurt
when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster.

Why the
Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete
by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life.


She s aid some other crap too.



THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin,
cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl.

I couldn't help being a half an
hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.



Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells.

When she was not looking, I ran
and hid in the restroom.

She sent another skinny girl to find me

Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.



FRIDAY:
I hate that snot Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other
human being in the history of the world.

Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic
little cheerleader.

If there was a part of my body I could move without
unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.



Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps.

I don't have any triceps! And if
you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damned barbells or
anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I
landed on a health and nutrition teacher.



Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir
director?

SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice
wondering why I did not show up today.

Just hearing her made me want to
smash the machine with my planner.

However, I lacked the strength to even
use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather
Channel.



SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and
thank GOD that this week is over.

I will also pray that next year my
daughter (the little brat) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a
root canal or a hysterectomy.


I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the
floor with diamonds!!!

Meet the soon to be new addition to the Cheerio family!!!

This is Daisy! I say soon to be addition because right now she is currently being trained in all areas of obedience right now, and as you can see from the pics they are also working on her losing some weight. lol Daisy is a very special furry friend because she is going to be Trix's service dog! We started thinking of this idea a couple months ago. Anyone who has read my blog for awhile knows that Trix suffers from seizures, and unusually long ones at that. He is also sometimes semi concscious during them as well. The biggest worry for hubs and I is that on several occasions we have found Trix in the middle of the night suffering seizures where he was not making much noise but he was choking. Neither hubs nor I have gotten much sleep over the last few months. So we started thinking about what we could do. I had thought of a dog but was not sure a dog would do anything, until I started asking around and found out they have such a thing as "seizure response" dogs. These are dogs that are trained to stay with the person having the seizure, they can bark to alert hubs and I or even press a button. Here I thought service dogs were just for seeing eye dogs etc. As I started to research the idea I found out they now have dogs that help autistic kids, people with cerebal palsy, people with diabetes (there has actually been dogs that are trained to go get them juice or medicine) etc. The more I researched the more I became convinced that this was a good decision for us. The trouble was finding one. I checked with service dog organizations but none of them were in my state, and several turned us down, the one that accepted us wanted us to fundraise an obscene amount of money. So I did what I am prone to do when frustrated, I prayed. Luckily I found a lady through another lady etc. and she said she could absolutely help us! Dawna is wonderful! We are so lucky to have met her. She told us that while she could train a dog for us that it is not a cure all and we cannot one hundred percent rely on the dog that it would be an extra security measure. She came out with some of her dogs and taught my son a few commands and let him practice with her dogs to see how he would do. Hubs and I sat in literal disbelief and awe, Trix was amazing with her dog, he took control, and he totally calmed down. Those of you who know Trix personally would understand what I mean about him being so active and flapping his hands (part of his sensory processing disorder) he stopped jumping, and flapping his hands etc. Trix has always been afraid of dogs, he was not afraid of Dawna's probably because they are gentle and so well trained. Dawna was so wonderful she even picked out our dog! This story could go on forever but suffice it to say, Dawna has Daisy right now, and is completely obedience training her for us. She says that Daisy was already partially trained and is the sweetest dog she has seen in a long time. She said she knows after meeting Trix and our family that Daisy is the best fit for us. :) Daisy will be primarily Trix's responsibility, although she will privately train all of us how to command her etc. Trix will have a new awesome responsibility but she says he will be fine. she also said it will help a lot with his sensory issues. Again Daisy is not a cure all but she is sure to be a wonderful addition to our family,and a true best friend for Trix. :)

Till next time!
The Cheerio Queen

random thoughts, update....

So here it is another week went by and I am just now posting again. Oh well I guess my goal of posting every day is not going to happen anytime soon but I will keep trying. lol

Let's see I should update you on my weight loss program. I was doing pretty good until the evil girlscouts hit. I swear they put them through a "cute pagent" and pick only the cutest ones to get out there and sell. I have a sneaky suspicion that they teach them how to shiver and look cold too. I would not be surprised if their little red noses from out in the cold is really blush that has been carefully applied. I have never been able to turn down a cute face and now I have one more evil thing pitted against me. I am a girlscout troop leader in my daughters brownie troop! So not only do I have an adorable little girl selling cookies, but heck our whole dang troop is cute! And of course I am a leader so I would be a horrible leader if I turned down boxes right? I have not gained anything but have not lost much either. oh well I am still working on it. In fact this mornign I was reading one of my favorite blogs http://fiddledeedee.net and she is having a giveaway on her blog if you go and post. Her giveaway is for a skinnysongs cd. Apparently it has even been on Oprah and Martha stewart show, I figured it could not hurt to try it must be good. According to my daughter Justin Timberlake "Sexy back" is just NOT a good choice for me to workout or even worse dance too. I left a comment for Deedee this morning in an attempt to win the cd, explaining how my daughter at the knowedgeable age of 8 is threating to go into the witness protection program if I dare play that or dance to it again. Of course that is also a good way to make sure she gets her chores, and schoolwork done.
I have started wearing ankle weights around my ankles while i am doing housework in an attempt to help my jeans not run and hide from me. I dont' know if it is working yet I have only had them three days but I will let you know later. Although they feel like shackles.

In other news, the kids schoolwork is going great! The kids have hit all their goals for the month of February! Honey Nut loves science and art the most, Trix loves all of it, Lucky Charms is loving reading and science. They all love PE since that means they get to go to the park etc.

Hubs started his new job and so far loves it. He has his own office now so he feels that he is going up in the world after graduating from the dreaded cubicle.

Well that is about it for now, however I will leave you with this...I will be posting later about our soon to be new addition to the family.:)

Have a great day!
The Cheerio Queen

Happy Birthday Trix!!! ..

Trix turned 7 yesterday! I cannot believe my "baby boy" is a ripe old 7 already. Raising Trix is such a fun and awesome challenge! I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing me with him. I am in awe everyday of how he overcomes challenges, how funny, sweet natured, smart, and loving he is, how much he reminds me of his daddy. It is funny he looks a lot like his Grandpa (my dad) but his personality and habits etc. is just like his Dad. I love that even as he gets bigger he still loves to have his special cuddle time with Mommy. I love that he really really adores his big sister, and little brother. I love watching him get all excited when he watches his veggie tales videos and how he knows every single word the whole dvd lol. I love how he waits every day for his daddy to call home on the radio part of our cell phone just so Trix can run up and say "are you on your way home daddy?" and when hubs says yes he gets excited and jumps up and down and hugs me. I love that he is starting to really know and love God. Nothing is more precious then seeing him pray before meals, or ask God for help on something he is frustrated with. His love for people is darling. His enthusiasm is neverending and so sweet to see.

Yesterday at church we had the Matsiko Children's Choir visit and sing. These children in this choir are all former orphans or at risk children who got a second chance through sponsorships etc. These are HAPPY kids. This littlest one on stage was singing and bouncing with all his little heart and energy and he reminded me very much of Trix. Then when they were done pastor asked our church kids to go up and shake hands with them. I was misty eyed watching little Trix go up and shake everyones hand...a lot of the kids did not see him at first he was kind of behind them but he just kept going around and around until he shook a couple of the kids hands and he was just so excited and you could see it and so could a few people around me. I could hear them saying "look at that cute little boy how excited he is". The choir went back to class with our church kids and I found out later that the choir sang a special version of "Happy Birthday" just for Trix! I am so glad he loved it. (sometimes too much noise can send him into tears)
He talked to me all day about how he got a special birthday song. We took him out to lunch at Red Robin where he got sang to again, and then when we got home Grandpa,Nana, and Gigi called and sang to him again.
His bday party with friends will be next weekend. We do a tradition in our family where the weekend of the birthday we do a family celebration, and then the following weekend is friends. Oh and on the actual birthday the kids each get to go alone with Daddy to the store to pick out their own present. They really look forward to this every year.
So I will end this post by saying: Trix, Daddy and I love you very very much and are both blessed to have the chance and the honor of being your parents! We could not have asked for a better kid, you are bright, sweet, big hearted, loving, and in short amazing! We love you!

Dancing with the Stars...

Ok so any of you who have read my blog know that i am a fan of that show. However that being said, and in light of the new cast announcement for the upcoming season, I really think it is time someone speak up about a few flaws on this show. Keep in mind these are only my opinion but since I am a viewer and they expect me to view it then I think they should totally listen lol. First I will put up tthe list of new stars:

Marlee Matlan
Adam Corolla
Cristian de la Fuente
Shannon Elizabeth
Steve Guttenberg
Mario
Penn Jillette
Priscilla Presley
Monica Seles
Jason Taylor
Marissa Jaret Winokur
Kristi Yamaguchi

Ok aside from about 5 of this 12 person cast I dont know who the rest even are. Out of the 5 I know I could care less about a few of them anyway. I thought this was called Dancing with the "STARS"? Shouldn't we know who these people are? That said I will complement them on not having a wafer model in this cast although Shannon Elizabeth is beautiful but she is an actress (ok I bet she started as a model too lol)

One thing I would like to point out, is this show needs to change the voting process so that it is a 60% judges and 40% fans decision instead of 50/50...the reason being? Re watch last season..'nuff said. Sorry Marie Osmond fans..she is a great lady but frankly I thought she made a mockery of the final freestyle and considering she had no business being there in the first place I thought it was tacky. People that were really good last season were voted off probably becasue some people did not know who they were, and also because it was a "who has a bigger fan base" not "who can actually dance" thing. Although I was thrilled that Helio won he actually was good!
Another thing I would change is to get rid of Carrie Ann Inaba...for one thing she picks her favorites the first dance and then drools shamelessly all over whoever she likes the rest of the season, regardless of if they have talent. Remember when she all but hit on poor Emmit Smith? He could dance that was good...but she grossly drooled over him all season that is was irritating.

Last but not least I would love to petition to let the Pro's pick the music they dance too for each Dance instead of whoever else picks it. This way we don't have couples trying to do a paso to music that sounds like a ride at Disneyland. :) Half the problem with the show is the music. NOT THE BAND the band is awesome! But the show sometimes picks lousy songs and the couple dancing has good moves and lots of talent but they look stupid because the music stinks. Speaking of music I wonder how long it will take them to give Priscilla Presley an Elvis song to jive too.

Now that I have picked a part this show and made it sound like I hate it, will I watch it? OF COURSE! Why? Because it is fun to watch even if it can be at rain wreck sometimes! lol.

the cheerio queen

2 posts in less then a week...shocking I know...

Not too much to write about today so I decided to go over some of the things I actually heard spoken in my house. None of these are made up and are in their original form. :)small disclaimer here: the kids really do get along most of the time but then hey there are those days. Spoken from the mouths of babes.

Honey Nut- "mom I have a slight cramp in my left side...I must be getting my first period" she just about hyperventilated..we call her "sara bernhart" for a reason.Keep in mind she is at the ripe old age of 8. and no that was not what was happening thank goodness.

Trix- annoyed that his brother and sister were making noise at bedtime said to them "shutup I am trying to sleep liverlips" I probably should not have laughed but I was annoyed at trying to get them to stay in bed lol.

Trix- in response to his younger brother messing up his artwork "oh man look what you done!" Lucky Charms responded: "oh pipe down boobyhead" where they get these terms I do not know.

Honey Nut- " Look what I can do Mom?" then she proceeded to turn her eyelids inside out...I am so proud.

Lucky Charms- " you better listen to me Trix or I am gonna spit in your cereal" Trix "oh whatever...you do that and I am going to kick you in the privacy" Siblings are so great.

and last but not least...
Lucky Charms- "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!"...which was immediately followed by a loud fart. Promptly sending his brother and sister and dad into fits of laughter, which now means that every time he passes gas is an "event" with the given warning "Fire in the hole". Which leads to me calling out "is that really necessary?"

Oh my pride can just not be contained.

So how was YOUR week?
The Cheerio Queen

Brownies, Egypt, foreign language and more...

Ok so that kind of covers all the stuff or most of what has been going on in the Cheerio Household this week. :)

First I will start with tonight where Honey Nut and I went to the library to meet a couple of her girlfriends from her brownie troop to study girlscout customs in Egypt! That was fun! The girls had to find a picture of the flag, their uniform, what they are called there (it is not girlscouts), food, games they play etc. That is one of the things i love about being a homeschooler...I am learning right along with my children. haha. I don't remember some of this from school. Maybe it is mommy brain.
While we were there Honey Nut found a computer program where she can learn different languages. There is vocabulary for Spanish, German, French, and English on there! I told her to try and limit it to one language at at a time. I was secretly thrilled that she came up with this idea on her own. She has been bugging me for awhile now to learn a new language. Again...one of the perks of homeschooling, she is really loving schoolwork now and I no longer have to fight her on it except for repetitive work lol.

Let's see what else has been going on around here...oh yeah Lucky Charms is back to selling golf balls again. Those of you who have been reading for awhile will remember that Lucky Charms actually made close to 200 dollars last year selling golfballs to the golfers on the course we live on. He is still riding that quad he saved for too! Bless his heart...I don't mean to brag but come one the kid is only 5! And he earned most of the money before his 5th birthday in August!

Trix is doing well also! He is really coming around with some of his sensory issues. I am going to be trying the "Feingold diet" with him and actually all the kids. I don't have the kit and food list yet but from what i understand it takes out the additives, artificial colorings, sahlulites (sp?)and basically all the extra crud that the food giants are now putting in to the food. It will require a lot more "from scratch" cooking from me I think but luckily i love to cook so it should not be a problem. :) It is also supposed to help...some of the sensory issues Trix has as well as reduce seizures. This is good since last week Trix had a neurology appointment and the new neurologist adjusted his medication dosage a bit...then that night Trix wound up having one of his "typical" seizures and when I gave him the diastat to stop it...well it worked in reverse which was odd. It put him into convulsions and he started to actually choke on his saliva. That bothered me a lot. You see most of Trix's seizures are quiet seizures where he gets quiet and does not say much...he will usually plug his ears and maybe shiver like he is cold. I will hold him until he is done and has somewhat snapped back. My biggest fear after seeing him choke on his saliva is that I did not hear the seizure...he was in bed and I was actually STANDING IN HIS ROOM tucking his little brother in on the bottom bunk. It was not until I looked up to see Trix and saw his eyes wide open that I realized he was in a seizure. We wound up calling the paramedics again...it was not quite as severe as the huge Grand Mal one he had last year where he had no diagnoses yet, and it went on 45 minutes that we knew of, however, this one lasted on and off 25 to 30 minutes, he would start to come out of it and then go back in it. He did wind up leaving the house in an ambulance again but just to the emergency room and Hubs went with him because it was snowing and icy here and being the sweet hubby he is he did not want me driving in it and especially not upset.I have a baby monitor in his room, however I am trying to find an actual seizure monitor...this is a lot harder then I thought so far I can only find one in the UK or Canada ...neither company has emailed me back yet and they are expensive, they meausre any movement he makes, and if he does not make a sound if he drools excessively it will set off an alarm in my room to wake me and Hubs up. I personally don't care the cost as long as we are being alerted to him having one, his life is just too precious to put a pricetag on. :) Well enough of that. Other then to say that i have been journaling a lot about it and I find it calms me down. This time when he had one I did not freak out ...ok well a little when he was choking...thank God hubby was there (I am so blessed with an AWESOME husband) and he stays super calm. After they left I broke down and cried but then was ok. Hubs and I the next day though our nerves were shot all day.

I am down to just two daycare families now which has taken a whole lot of stress off me. It also cut my income down but that is ok because Hubs has had two very promising interviews with a great company in which he would be making significantly more then he is now! He is still working at the current company which is a very nice company and they love him there but they are down in their sales big time and hubs is being proactive in looking elsewhere he does not want to get unexpectedly caught in layoffs again this year. However he says if he gets this new job he will be sad to give his notice. As for me...I am about ready to print up the business cards for my new venture. :) I am a life coach for special needs nannies. I will be training nannies for families of special needs children and then I will be their life coach for when they need to talk when they realize what a wonderfully challenging job they have. :) It was my own life coach who helped me realize this is what I am being called to do...well my life coach and God who whispered to me that this is what he wants me to do. Remind me to tell you when I have more time about how I actually heard God's voice pointing me in the direction lol. In any case I have such a big background in childcare and working with special needs kids, especially in the last two years with this wonderful family I was doing daycare for that I felt it was time to help someone else in that arena. :)

Well this whole thing turned into a novel! whew! But I will sign off for tonight and I will keep trying to post more frequently. Those of you who were praying for us to get over all our cold/flu bug the last few weeks...THANKYOU! I got the emails and I really appreciate it!

The Cheerio Queen

what kind of hen are you??

One of my favorite bloggers Dawn over at By Sun and Candlelight has the cutest quiz thingy on her blog and I loved it so I thought I would do it here! Most people that know me would say I am definitely a hen and belong in a hen house with all the other talking hens because I am a talker lol! But here is what the survey said.....

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

what kind of hen are YOU?? if you do this please comment me so I can see your answer! ;)

I will write more a little later on in the week been busy as always!

The cheerio queen!

some of what we have been doing this week. :) ..

I could not think of any great topic to blog about although I have one random question I wanted to ask and have not figured out how to create and entire blog post out of it. I always wondered why people jokingly refer to "Ketchup" as being a "vegetable"...when it is made of tomatoes so wouldn't it be a fruit? Ok so I just had to get that important question off the brain lol.

I decided to post some pics of some of the stuff we have been doing this week. :) We have been busy, and some of us have been feeling sorry for ourselves for the cold we are nursing (of course I am not naming myself here) the kids are doing better except for honeynut who is still coughing up a lung going on a month now. I took her to the doc last week and was told it was "just a cold and to give her dimetapp" but that is not working so I am going to call tomorrow and push to find out what is really going on here.
The kids have been working hard in their studies so here is a pic of (some) of the stuff we do in a day here in the cheerio household.
Hope you all are having a great week!

the cheerio queen (yes I realize that signature is not correct grammar since I did not capitolize but hey I am on my fourth round of theraflu today and frankly I am lucky I am able to type at all)





Lucky Charms posing


Lucky Charms practicing his writing while Honeynut looks on.

Trix hard at work painting



Honey Nut doing her online schooling assignment


Honeynut writing out her story summeries.

I SURVIVED!!!!!!.....

Sort of....my back has serious issues with me camping on the floor with all the brownie troops. Lesson learned " bring an air mattress!" got it. Will definitely do that next time. :) Actually the sleepover went really well and the girls had a blast. We put goopy guacamole masks on our face, sang the most obnoxious song about a burrito that is STILL stuck in my head a week later, gave each other hand massages, and put on make up to do "glamour shots" don't you just love mine and honey nut's? haha.

It was brought to my attention that I should have updated the blog before Wednesday since I told you all last time that if I did not post by then it would mean us leaders were still tied up in a broom closet...so thanks for checking in everyone but please call off the search party were ok! :)

Truth be told sore back or not...I would not have traded last Friday for anything. It was a great memory for me and my daughter and since she is my only girl I probably do tend to go overboard. :)

This week has been hectic. A couple of the daycare kids got sick so I took a premptive measure and closed on Wednesday in hopes of keeping my kids healthy, and while they did not get the stomach virus everyone else had...they DID get colds. grrr. Actually it turns out their colds are not new but were the same one they have had for awhile that I thought was gone. So we went to the store and got dimetapp and a new cool mist humidifier to help with their little coughs. poor babies. I will say though it was so nice to have just one day where it was me and my munchkins. I know it sounds silly but I actually miss them sometimes even though they are with me all day...I have so many other kids I take care of in addition to them. :)

Otherwise not much else is new. Hubs and I are hosting game night this weekend I cannot wait! It will be our same group of friends that we have been hanging out with forever. There is 4 main couples that come to this and we have all been married 10 years this year! Although us girls have known eachother since highschool. When we started doing game nights we were younger and used to play and have a margarita or 3....but now we are all older, and some of us have kids and so now we usually party down with games until 9:30 or 10pm. I know we are so shameless.

Then Sunday I am teaching Sunday School so as you can see it is a wild weekend for us. ya right.

Hope you all had a great week!

The Cheerio Queen