Pity Party of One

I really try not to dwell on the negative side of having an Autistic child with additional learning disabilities. Noah is a blessing in every sense of the word (as are all my boys). I occasionally complain about the destructive aspect of his behavior, but I never talk about how scared I am.

With my soon to be 1st grader, I know there is a chance he will get a teacher he doesn't like, but he will cope. With Noah the thought of him having to change teachers makes me feel a little ill, despite the issues we have faced with the teaching team he has, Noah is comfortable with them.

At this point though, I think a change is what he needs. These last few weeks have been rough to say the least. Noah has shut down at school. He won't write, play, eat, or sing, so basically he just sits there all day long. Once again this year, he was not allowed to take part in field day. I fought with his teacher hard, because I really wanted him to take part. We compromised, instead of him having great behavior all week, he only needed one day. And he would have no part of it. When I say good behavior, I want to be clear, he is not "bad" at school as in destructive or disruptive, he just goes catatonic.

I was irrationally saddened that he didn't do field day. I just wanted him to be able to do some NORMAL things.

His teaching team has decided to give up on the concepts of phonics and handwriting for now. Though I have been fighting for this for almost a year, it kind of stings. He will be learning with a keyboard and working on learning words through pictures.

I was also given the word, he is not working towards a regular diploma, rather he will get a special needs diploma.

With all the wonderful mommies I know that have lost their precious children, I feel like hell for whining. I just feel a little down in the dumps about this whole situation and scared about what the future holds.

Get to Old Navy ASAP

Old Navy is having a 50% off of clearance prices sale right now! AND you can use coupons from Old Navy Weekly with the sale! I cleaned up today, spent $103 and saved close to $400! I am done back to school shopping for the boys for next year.

The cashier was awesome and told me the sale runs til Saturday. Also on Saturday, all men's and women's graphic tees will be $3.

Wordless Wednesday:Bubbles

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom

So Ready for the School Year to End

I am once again preparing to face off with Noah's teachers. Noah has been having a difficult time and has had several "slip" days in a row. I knew this was coming, it happened at the end of last school year. He knows his life is about to be changed and as per usual for an autistic child, he is FREAKING out!

In response to this freak out his teachers, who are trained to deal with autistic children, press him harder. When he wont sing the days of the week in morning circle, they make him SIT there ALL day, until he will. No specials, no fun, no other lessons.

Obviously, this is not cool. We have gone through this at least 10 times in the last two years. I call a meeting, we reset his behavior plan, and things are great...for a while. Then they slip back into trying have a stalemate with an autistic child. This DOES NOT WORK. Instead Noah comes home HYPER and freaking out because he has been berated all day.

Last year Noah was not allowed to take part in field day because he was not working hard enough. I understand the teacher is trying to motivate him, but he isn't a regular kid and like I said it isn't working.

Field day is next Friday, I called his teacher to inform her I wanted him to take part, even if he is struggling. She informed me that wasn't my call to make, if he doesn't meet her quota, he will not play.

I am wondering if its even worth calling another meeting? There are nine days left.
If it looks like they will be punishing him on Friday, I just won't send him.
The real kicker there is a 90% chance, he will have the same teaching team next year.

So what do I do? Am I undermining the teachers by not punishing him for going catatonic, when his teachers put pressure on him?

Wordless Wednesday: My boys at the beach

Yikes

The school year is almost over. What the heck? When did this happen? I am pretty sure I just said we have 2 months left.
The littlest goes to school next Tuesday and then he is done, til next year. He will be in VPK* then. The other 2 boys have 12 days left. That is all!
One on hand I am looking forward to not having to get up and run out the door every morning. On the other...Um what the heck am I going to do with them? My plans of lots of beach visits have been blown to bits by my knee injury. I am debating vacation bible school, but that is only one week.
We will do the usual; back yard pool/slip and slide, arts and crafts, baking, and movies (gotta love netflixs).
But all those activities will take up, oh about one week.
I need help from people far more creative than I am, please give me some ideas for summer fun!
* VPK is voluntary preschool, which is free in Fla. Since it is free and you get to pick your own school, pretty much everyone uses it.

CVS Deals 5/17

Well actually the 18th, because we went no where yesterday and it was AWESOME! We had a lazy Sunday. I was able to get some baking done and just relax.
After dropping the kiddos off to school, I dragged my sick dh off to CVS. (I am still nervous walking around with only one crutch)
The deals for Florida* were very few this week.

3 Select Cereals sale 3/$5
Used 3 $1/1 internet printables

2 Aussie hair products sale $2.99
use $2/2 q
earn 1 ecb on each

Used 6 Ecbs
total oop 0!!
Earned 2 ecb

I don't usually like to spend more ecbs than I earn, but there were so few deals this week and we actually needed cereal and the Aussie.

*it seems Florida had a different ad than the rest of the US.

So how did you do this week? Any deals I missed?

Ain't I Fancy???

I re-did my blog! I love the way it looks now!

Grocery Deals 5/14

I was excited to grocery shop this week! Publix and Albertsons both had freebies.

Publix:
Ritz Crackers on sale Bogo $3.89
used 2 Target printable* $1/1 and 2 Kraft printable(ip)** $1/1
Making them free with .11 overage

Kraft Cheese sale 2/$4
used 1 Kraft ip $1/1 and 1 Target ip $1/1 making them free

Yo Plus Yogurt sale bogo $2.50
used 1 Kraft ip $1.50/1 and 1 Kraft ip $1/1 making them free

Other great deal:
Butter $1.99
Including other purchases I saved $28.89
and spent $8.08

Albertsons: I did the bulk of my shopping here.

6 Kraft Dressings bogo $3.49
used 4 $1.50/1 Ranch tearpad and 2 Kraft ip $1/1

2 Hunts BBQ sauce sale $1.29
used 2 Kraft ip $1/1

3 Velveeta Mac and Cheese sale 3/$5
used 3 Kraft ip $1/1

Hormell Bacon bits $2.00 and Breakstone Sour Cream $2.00
used get free sour cream w/ bacon bits tearpad

2 Bagelfuls sale bogo $2.99
used 2 Kraft ip $1/1


2 Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches bogo $5.39
used 2 $1/1 qs

8 Yo Crunch sale bogo $0.89
used 2 $.40/4 qs

3 packs 3 lbs each Pork chops buy 1 pack get 2 free.
3 packs hamburger all marked down with $1/1 or $3/1

With other purchases (lots of produce) total was $90
and savings $110!!!

My goal this week was $100 and I spent $98. I saved about $150!!!!!!!

Target printables*
Kraft printables**

Wordless Wednesday:4 Year Old Peak-a-Boo

I took these the first day I was stuck in bed after hurting my knee. He stayed by my side the whole day making me laugh.


Check out more Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom

CVS Deals

I am finally beginning to build some Ecb's and I am pretty happy with this weeks deal scenarios.
Here is my plan:

Crest whitestrips 56 ct -$18.99
use $5/1 q
earn 5 ecbs

2 Schick Quattro for Women razor- $8.99
use 2 $4/1 qs
earn 4 ecbs on each

Bayer/Ascensia Contour- $14.99
use save up to $30/1
earn $5 ecbs on each

Bayer Quick release crystals $2
earn 2 ecbs

Total about $69
use 15 ecbs
and a $10/50 CVS q
after coupons total oop $1 plus tax

For other great deals check out Hot Coupon World

ETA: there is also a great cereal deal. Select Kellogs cereals on on sale 2/$4 and using the $1/1 internet printables it makes them $1 a box!

Wordless Wednesday: Jordan in New Glasses

a little crooked, he is still working on getting them on right with all that hair.

Free 8 x 10

Tomorrow only go to www.Walgreens.com and place an order for an 8x10 to be pick up in store at checkout enter the code MOTHER and your picture will be free!
In the past I was able to get this deal using multiple family email addresses.

Win a Laptop!!

The ladies over at 5 Minutes for Mom are giving away a Toshiba Portege A600 to one really lucky mom (please be me) for Mother's Day, go here to enter now!!

FREEE KFC

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this awesome offer!! Go here to print coupons for a free 2 piece meal! You can print up to 4!

I had the best intentions..

For Isaiah's birthday party, I really did. Homemade cake and frosting and homemade pizza. What the heck was I thinking? I can only stand for a few minutes at a time on my messed up leg (with crutches) as it is. I baked the cake at 1030pm on Saturday and it seemed like to come out pretty good, but when I tasted it the next morning it seemed a little too sour (from buttermilk). I figured it would be OK with good frosting.

Here is where things went wrong...

I ATTEMPTED to make butter cream frosting, but ended up with very sweet buttery scrambled eggs whites. I think I overheated the sugar and I guess it started to crystallize. After burning the heck out of my hand with boiling sugar trying to slowly pour it in, it scrambled the whipped egg whites. I thought it looked weird but didn't notice how bad until I stopped the mixer and the beater was full of fluffy scrambled eggs.

Crappy cake...check
scrambled eggs..er frosting...check

Wal- mart cake it is.

After rolling around Walmart in a scooter I was in no mood to come home a make pizza dough. I was actually close to crying. Pop pop came to the rescue with pickup from the yummy italian place in our neighborhood.

In the end Isaiah had a great party.