Spill The Beans Saturday.

You know being a SAHM isn't all its cracked up to be ... by Saturday I'm so full to the brim that I need to let it all out.


There is a saying .... Spill the Beans ..... The English idiom “spill the beans” means “to divulge a secret.”

Oh boy do I have some beans to spill ....

In the world of Select All + Delete the beans can be anything from something I found to something that's happened .... Good or Bad

So Saturday is Spill the Beans :Saturday ......


And here are my beans for the week:

Sunday:

I love to know what is going on back home...
So I often read the newspapers online ...
In my younger days I spend sometime living in London... and no I didn't really enjoy it most of the time.... and I'm glad I'm not there now if this is what they are going to introduce, I'm all for the environment and saving energy... but I don't ride bicycles .... No really I DON'T 

Will Commuters Take To The 'Boris Bikes'? 

Monday: 

Rad was a pain in my backside today, out of control kids cause they knew that my Mom and Dad where arriving the next day.... and no time to pull the reins in cause there was far to much to do ..... always the way ... they don't play me up if they have my full attention, they don't play me up if its all about them, they don't play me up if they are in control of me and any situation around them. Hence no of the above where happening so hence they where little tykes 

Tuesday:

I had been thinking of all the places locally I could take my parents to... the one place that came to mind was a place called 

Monson in Milford New Hampshire 

 

 I went here last summer when I was working a summer camp and I was running the photography program .... It is the site for the first British settlers in the area and the house still stands.... I loved it here... and the stories behind it all 

Wednesday:

 There where a few things that made me chuckle out loud

This is from a site called Old Tom Foolery

if you click on it you should be ale to see the names

Then there was Best of British ..... they have a slang page.... I show it to all my American friends so they can understand me..... 

Thursday:

Oh boy Thursdays our my Therapy days..... and Wednesday night  my therapist call me and said could I make it Friday morning..... Uhhhgggg ... So wanted to say no I need to see you now ...but I agreed and just prayed Friday would arrive quickly

Also on I found out that on Wednesday Ivy Bean had died.... we found Ivy Bean when we were looking for reading books for Bops ..... Ivy Bean was the oldest Twitterer ..... but Ivy & Bean is a series of children's reading books.

Friday:

Yeahhhhh Therapy, by now I need therapy ...

I was being to feel like a fruitlooped-nutcaseing-hipporiding-mother.... ye it was all getting a bit much for me..... 

They had turned into RADS from HELL, and I was not dealing well.... I wont repeat most of the stuff I said to them but here is a insight into of one of our of the wall conversations Friday Morning

Bip: where we going

as we all got got into the car,

Me: You are going to  the park with Nanny and Teddy (thats what Bip and Bop call my mom and dad)

Bip: and you, what are you doing.

Me: I'm going to see Donna (The Therapist)

Bop: Why are you just going why are we not going, I want to go, why are you not taking us.......

She said some other things and Bip joined in to with the same ....

Me: I'll tell you why your not going, cause I need to go alone cause you pair are making me crazy and for the first time in 43 yrs of my life I need therapy ...... if I don't see Donna alone today I'm likely to rip both your heads of and the puke down your necks once Ive done that Ill leave you both strung up by your ankles covered in honey and the bears can have you.

Silence.

then Bip said cool and I drove off down the road.

My parents God Bless them where thinking they had given birth to the Devils child some 43 years ago and it was only now they where realizing it.

Not the best way to speak to a RADling .... in fact I wouldn't recommend this form of angry in any shape or form but I was at my wits ends...and rad got the better of me....

So after all that I really hope you all have a wonderful weekend

and if you have any beans you would like to spill please feel free.

Rite of passage

A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events such as other milestones within puberty, coming of age, marriage and death. Initiation ceremonies such as baptism, confirmation and bar or bat Mitzvah are considered important rites of passage for persons of their respective religions.

That above is what Wikipedia says about a Rite of Passage....

To me its more.....its not a big event ...its nothing that I need invite the neighborhood  to.....it wont cost me an arm and a leg to host.....its nothing I need explain to Bip or Bop.

Its bigger then marriage, easier to explain than puberty, there is no cost to it, and it wont kill them.....

Every kids does it, some do it alone, some need some help..... To some its scary to others its a walk in the park.....

I don't remember doing it as a kid but I'm told by my mother I did my dad taught me .....

My brothers did it to.... they where pretty good at it and would hide from me for hours .....

It's something I wasn't sure Bip or Bop would ever do....

Bip is so fearful of most things that he has never tried..... in his mind he has done it a thousand time and each time he does it he does it so well he is the Master of it ....

Bop will openly admit that she cant do something, but she has no fear and will give anything a go at lest once.

So the Rite of Passage .....is.... Drum Roll Please

 Tree Climbing...... and Bip and Bop can now scale the trees like experts ...no more in my imagination I can do it  all...no more I cant do that..... They have conquered the tree in the backyard with grace and style.....

Journey: This weeks photo prompt.

This week at Life throught the lens and Savoring the Details the photo prompt is the word Journey.
Kristi and Melissa  have as usual out done themselves with fantastic interpretations of the word.


The word Journey sets of a whole bunch of emotions in me, and isnt it funy that the word Journey be the prompt for this week just as my parents land in The States after an 18 hour day of travelling.

I had so many ideas for this weeks photo..... but finally this is what I used.

Reunited

It's funny that even at the age of 43, seeing my parents can bring out the child in me...

The inner child the one who just wants to crawl up on my fathers lap and snuggle,  the child who wants to follower her mother everywhere, and not let her out of her sight.

That has been me this afternoon, after nearly two years I got to see them again, the people who brought me into this world  ... brought me up to be a decent human being..... the ones who saw me through rough times cried with me when I cried, rejoiced with me when I was happy.

Its funny cause I have always been very independent, live on an island by myself type of girl.....
Never needed anyone... until the people nearest to me where not there.

I never imagined when I moved to the States, that I would miss anyone... I just don't do the whole missing thing.

When I saw them this afternoon I cried... cried on my moms shoulder... almost a sobbed

I realized for the first time in my life... that I had missed someone.

Perfect Moment Monday: Playing Together

Every Monday Weebles Wobblog does a weekly post Called Perfect Moment Monday

Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.


There hasn't been many perfect moments of late, well not where Bip and Bop are concerned.... just as you think your going forward you take about five steps back.

Playing together is just imposable, I know all kids have there moments where they don't get on and cant play together but this is an everyday thing.

Its wearing thin and becoming a concern, the control of each other has grown mainly I think cause they know they cant control me, and in true RAD style they have to control something, so why not each other.
We  are working on this little problem, but needless to say, them being amicable with each other is far and few between.

There was one day this week where I suggested they  build something, they both love to build .... I supplied tape, scissors ( I was supervising the handling of the scissors), markers and other bits and bobs ... oh and a big cardboard box ..... they decided together to build a house for BOP's littlest pet shop toys .... there was one moment where they where quiet, no agruing no bickering, and where working together.

Working Together

I sat back and savored the moment of peace .....

Glad I did cause not some ten minutes later one of the toys had its head ripped off in anger ....Go figure.

I Capture Perfect Moments.

Getting to Know You: Sunday

 WoW .... how lucky was that, all day while I have been cleaning I've been mulling over what today's post would be.... I was pretty sure you didn't want to see what my tip of a bedroom looked like before and after...cause to be honest there was a huge difference but nothing to write home about. 

I just don't want to write about what my RADdy kids have been up to all weekend I'm all done with that one for this week..... 

So I was gonna be a totally uneventful post until.......
I found MannLand5 .... and they do a Getting to know YOU..
On a Sunday which I would say is lucky for me ...wouldn't you?

So here goes with my answers

The Q's..

1. Thong or Granny Panties?

Well more like boxers for ladies

2. If you see a guy with his fly down, do you tell him?
Ha, No, unless its my husband then ye ......

3. Spanx or no Spanx?
Hmmm what are Spanx, running shorts cause if that's what they are then no...I so don't run anymore the ankles cant take it ... I have a feeling they are something other than running shorts..is it an American thing? or am I just not in the KNOW.

4. Do you sleep in your sheets?
Sort of ..... depends how hot it is or if they have been stolen from me

5. What is your favorite Disney character?
Snow White

6. Dream vacation spot?
I guess being a Brit living in The States I would have to say The UK ...... Isle of Sky in Scotland comes to mind

7. What is your dream job?
I don't really have a dream job.... sad to say, but I bet if I did and I got it I'd hate it... that's the way I roll

8. Who is your hero and why?

 My Mom and my Dad (am I allowed two I wonder?),My Dad had a series of stroke some years back and we were told IF he lived he would be in a wheelchair, and pretty much be good for nothing, well My Mom went to that hospital every day all day and prayed over that man, she only left his side to sleep and sometimes even that she didn't leave for, at the time he was 55 and had been a very active person. She did this for 6 weeks...... he walked out of there and I mean he walked... not a wheelchair in sight. They both fought to carry on living their lives with each other. He is now 67 and on Tuesday they fly out to see me for 6 weeks....and still no wheelchair in sight.

Ok so now off to get the ironing done .... can you hear me groaning 

Spill The Beans: Saturday

You know being a SAHM isn't all its cracked up to be ... by Saturday I'm so full to the brim that I need to let it all out.

There is a saying .... Spill the Beans ..... The English idiom “spill the  beans” means “to divulge a secret.”

Oh boy do I have some beans to spill ....

In the world of Select All + Delete the beans can be anything from something I found to something that's happened .... Good or Bad
So Saturday is Spill the Beans :Saturday ......

And here are my beans for the week:


Sunday:
We were meant to go car shopping  as a family, now normally we keep things we are doing very quiet
( RAD kids have a tendency to sabotage outings, mine do this in great lenghts) and this one was a total hush-hush ..... Bip however had left his room is a terrible state and had the night before de-faced a book that I had allowed him to read in bed, He told me he was not cleaning it up, so after negotiations which came to a stand still fairly quickly ...
His punishment was laps up and down the drive way, which he proclaimed he was NOT doing....

My response was to recommend bed rest until be was strong enough to do it... he attempted a few laps then refused again so off to bed rest it was...

So Bop and Daddy went of to look at cars.... while Bip rested...the rest lasted  2 hours, in which time we eat chicken noodle soup for strength and slept and moaned and groaned like any sick person would ....

After a lot of cuddles and some words of encouragement we went back outside and successfully completed the laps.. with Mom cheering on the side lines all the way.

Monday:
I sometimes feel like I'm an animal shelter ( I know our neighbor does)... we have stray cats ... some get caught some go on to have babies of their own ....  the latest bunch have now shown their faces and are so darn cute

Then in true contradiction... we have to feed the cats so that these babies can survive long enough to fly the nest

Tuesday:
We had some fun...

I had found a really cool site the night before, so I decided to go explore it some more, with Bop hanging over my shoulder it took a while longer than normal cause there were lots of  "Ohhhhh Mommy look" and "Awwwww I like that" but we did find some really cool things to print up and do...
Lots of Birthday printables...

So if you have a Birthday Party to plan for this site is a must

Draw Pilgrim ( This will take you to their birthday downloads)

We printed this off and played it on Tuesday ... The kids had so much fun... I felt like my Nana... who use to go to Bingo every week with her sister

Picture Bingo Printable

Wednesday:
Started Operation Nice with the kids .....

We made some Muffins .

We gave three to our neighbor the  one who gave us lettuce ( see Favorite Color , she also gave us Zucchini Bread which is so yummy)

We took one down to Daddy at work .....

One to our therapist,

And we ate some .....

They where very yummy they were Chocolate and Marshmallow.

Thursday:
 3 minutes and 30 seconds of my life I'm glad I wasted .....

If by any chance you have not seen this yet ...
You so have to watch this ....

This had me laughing for well longer than it really should of done .. but then I have a strange sense of humor . The guy narrating in the video is extremely  funny (well to me he is) plus it is really cool .....

Double rainbow ...whats the chance of ever seeing that!

This was found at around 1am ....

The night my husband was using our bed as his personal trampoline .... so its plain to say I was surfing not sleeping....

Also this night I stumbled on tumblr, which I did talking about .... but what I do want to say is.... as much as it was a pain to get set up I have found some really cool pages.

Friday:
Not much happened ...I spent most of  the day drinking coffee and walking around in a daze from lack of sleep .......

Kids did lots of arts and craft as it was about all I had the brain power for .....

Set it up and they just  did it... I think they got the message Mommy was a zombie

Oh I did clean my kitchen which took most of the day ..... longest cleaning job ever

Bip & Bop's Art Work for Friday

if you can't guess the theme was LOVE

So that's my beans for this week ....

Do you have any beans you would like to spill ?

Have a wonderful weekend folks .....

Friday's Flip Offs

They say there is a first time for everything.... and this is my first time joining Kludgy Mom for a much needed Flip off .....
so let the games begin....Friday Flip Off  here I come

To My Body : 12 hours sleep in 72 hours isnt enough has never been enough and will never be enough... whats you problem .... this is worse then Japanese Water Torture. How am I suppose to operate under these conditions?

To My Husband: As much as I love you, you soooooo need to stop using the bed like its your own personal trampoline .... I'm trying to sleep here and ever time I think I'm about to drift of into the land of nod you turn over and bounce me right out the bed.... you and my body are totally flipping me off now.

To The Idiot: Who thought he was driving in The UK.... wrong side of the road dude.... and what made you think it was my fault ... why did you honk your horn at me ... what part of YOUR ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD do you not understand.... and did you notice there was a speed limit to... maybe if I had not slowed down and hit you instead you could of drove off on the RIGHT side of the road .... bird brain

and finally

To the Creature/Critter: that has punctured the rim of our new swimming pool that we only brought at the beginning of summer.... do you not know we are on a budget here and can not afford to go and swim at the local pool, you have totally spoiled the kids week plus I now have to find where you punctured it... do you not think I have enough to do this week without this

Phew that  feels better

Now its your turn

Either join the Hop or just leave me a message telling me what Flipped you off this week

Friday Flip-offs

Click The Link At Your Own Risk

Sometime I wonder if I need my head looking at or if I just need a slap upside it .....

So I'm doing my normal Blog Hopping around thing I do most evenings...while putting kids to bed, watching TV, washing up from dinner and pouring myself a drink...

Maxabella always does "The Things I've Learned This Week Including" on a Friday and I have to say its one of my favorite weekly posts .... Its always funny and I always learn something new, plus she is so darn cute I cant help myself ...she is a must read if you haven't already found her yet.

So Im not saying I have a problem with her post this week ... but

There was a link on there... and in true me style, I clicked it ..... I'm suck a sucker for links

I so shouldnt have ..... No really you dont understand I soooooo should not have done that ........

Nearly two hours later I get off the site it sent me to....
Head buzzing
Mind boggling
Where is the Vodka moment.

I'm not the most computer savvy person out there... in fact nine out of ten times I'm calling Hubby over cause I'm totally stuck and don't understand whats going on, it is normally something so hard simple if I had only spent two more seconds on it I would have got it... but no not me its either doing it now or I'm calling you over.

So back to the click link moment .... remember when you where little and you where told not to talk to strangers.... I think maybe I should of been told don't click the link... it may have saved me a lot of trouble...

The link I clicked was as followed .... Tumblr

Its meant to be a fast twitter/blogger type style thingy.... faster than blogging slower than twittering .... Holy Smoke ...  there was nothing fast about getting set up.... or maybe that's just me ..... I did go and find some articles on this Tumblr

• A Complete Guide To Tumblr (smashingmagazine.com)
• A Complete Guide To Tumblr (darkerme.com)

Disclaimer
I have to say if you click any of the links on this page you do at your own risk and I shall not be held responsible in any shape or form.

Maxabella has stated and I quote " Although, should you choose to do so I will not be by your side. My life is far too slow for tumblr. I am already struggling with the pace of twitter. They are like trying to have a conversation at a party."

I on the other hand have now set up my account and is very willing (although not very able) to connect with you if you should set up an account ..... 

Maxabella thanks for an interesting night  

This is a Flog Yo Blog post

Head, Shed and Shapes

Some of the stuff that Bip and Bop do, to display there anger or to show there frustrations, which I know can be one of the same thing are sometimes beyond me. The things they do to gain control or to manipulate a situation, again this also can be one of the same thing totally blow my mind.

Yet even tho they are siblings with the same disorder they are so different, they display different traits.

Example:
The meeting of a stranger:
Bip will greet them as if he has known them all his life totally engage them into something that is fascinating him and they will instantly be drawn towards him, he will have total disregard for me in the situation almost acting as if he doesn't know me.
Bop on the other hand will hold back assessing the situation, she will cling to the point of embarrassment, and be totally rude to the person who she doesn't know.

Example:
Food and Drink:
Food: If Bip was asks for something to eat and I was to say
" Well can't you wait for 20 minutes cause we will be having lunch then"
He will agree but, once my back is turned he will go steal the first thing the nearest thing he can in the shape of food, how do I know... Ive caught he enough times to last me a life time.
Bop on the other hand will wait for that said lunch to be served and then will more than likely refuse to eat it, or pick at it ... lunch & dinner can sometimes take up to an hour to eat if she is in a mood.
Drinks: If Bip asked for a drink and I ask him to wait or I say no ( which in most cases I don't have to with him) he will except this answer and go on his merry way.
Bop will go steal it ( if I have had to tell her no or to wait its cause she has probably had one recently and as she is my bed wetter, I'm more likely to monitor her with liquids) she has been known to pretend she is going bathroom and get a drink from the tap, we even went through a stage where she would drink out of the toilet, ( this still to this day turns my stomach when I picture it) and if anyone is wondering yes she has been tested for diabetes and other things.

They have (and this is a new thing that we are doing) a snack box each which each morning I fill with extra snacks for them to have through out the day, they have to ask if they an have something from their box but what they have is their choice,and if its fruit in the box I write a note which will say fruit... if its 2 pieces I write two notes and so on as all fruit is kept in the fridge, also along with the snack box is a water bottle and two fruit juice boxes, this has to last them the whole day and night along side the normal meal times which are accompanied by drinks. Bips box is normally empty come morning if not before (this child will wake in the night and if no food in his box will go in search of it) his drinks on the other hand will still be there come morning, Bop is the opposite.

Example:
Play: Bip will not and can not play alone, if he has no one to play with he will try to engage me into doing something with him, and this will always happen if I am washing up folding laundry or just doing something around the house or doing something for myself like reading, sewing a craft and so on you get the picture. If I refuse his advances to play he will stomp, storm, enrage and nearly always go off in a mood mumbling you "Don't love me".
Bop will often refuse to play with him, mainly cause he will control her to the point where if its pretend play, he has the whole story line planned out and her idea's are always a none starter to him. He will invite her to his room then five minutes later demand she gets out, only to invite her back in two minutes later, on the condition she does as she is told by HIM.
Bop needs no one, she could play by herself all day everyday, if I try to join her she will stop what she is doing and has been known to just state at me and will not allow me to engage her in what it was she was doing or be even tempted by a new idea or suggestion, until I leave her then she will carry on with whatever it was she was doing. She will play in her room for hours at a time alone if allowed to. She never asks me to play with her all she asks for is for you to set something up for her like a craft, then she will let it be known that she has the situation under control. It has been said that at school if she has been naughty and misses recces time this in no shape or form will bother her. Bip on the other hand will rage over this.

I know that no two people are the same, but if only they could display the same symptoms then I wouldn't have to learn to different approaches to everything.
in some parts of The UK they have a saying ... it goes like this.

" My Heads in The Shed, and it's All Gone Pear Shaped"

Meaning this is doing my head in and I'm totally confused.

I would say, that's pretty much how I feel today.

Favorite Color

This week over at Life Through the Lens and Savoring the Details .... The theme was Favorite Color for their collaboration project.

Both their photos are stunning and you should really go take a look.

They opened their project up to everyone else ..... Im nowhere near as good as either of them but I love a challenge and as they say practice makes perfect so here is my favorite color ..... and  a big thank you to my neighbor for bringing over not only part of our dinner but for giving me the goods to take the photo.... it was fresh out of her garden.

My Favorite Color is Green

The July Chronicles: What's on Your Fridge.

Today will be a two post day.... As if I don't have anything better to do ... (parents arrive in five days time)
 I had my post for later all ready to go.... and then one of my faviorite blogs.... pops up with

"The July Chronicles: Whats on Your Fridge"

Far to much funfactor to pass up so here's my fridge. (So glad the kids cleaned it up for me this week)

Can you tell I love Marmite ....

The lottery ticket that my hubby made me scratch off... we won the  $1 .....

(please note this ticket is a one of we don't normally waste money on the lottery)

Operation Nice 

Bip and Bop have just started this ..... the try and do one of theses things on the list a day and leave a NICE card somewhere everyday.

The magnet was sent to me by my best mate here in The States ..... and the card was sent to me by one of my Best mates in The UK along with my Marmite care package .... she handmade the card ...

Bip made up this story using the word magnets .... not sure you can see it really clearly in the photo but it is super cute ..... just like him.

So there is my Fridge ....

Pop on over to Maxabella Loves and show the world whats on your fridge.

Now I'm of to get some work done.... look out for my next post later .....

There Are Times

I was thinking the other day,
I know what was I thinking doing this thinking activity?
Never the less I was thinking, thinking about why I started this blog.

Well it was because I had this need to connect with other Moms who had kids with RAD, I found loads of blogs, loads of different situations of RAD, PDSD, ADHD to name just a few long with lots of other disorders. When my kids where diagnosed with this disorder which by the way is classed as a mental illness, I was heartbroken to say the lest, but relieved at the same time, as I had been told by the school guidance counselor that Bop needed to see a neurologist. Which made me think at the time that the school thought Bop was totally crazy, which I knew was not the case.

So back to the blog.......
Im the sort of person who gathers like minded people around me and gets on with my situation. If one has like minded around them, then you always have that support system to pick you back up when you trip or fall or have a question.
Im also the type who will reach out to others and encourage where encouragement is needed.

I also believe that if you can educate someone one a subject then do just that.
So there are my reasons for this blog.

I was going to give this blogging thing a miss ..... I had thought about it and was just about fully decided to give it all up
I asked myself some questions this weekend

So have I connected with other Moms with kids with RAD?

Not really.
One Mom sort of, but other than that no,

Have i tried?

Yes I have tried, I read their blogs daily and always leave a comment ..... which as you know can be quiet time consuming, but I think its polite to at lest say Hi and let someone know you have read there post which maybe the spent hours thinking about and writing.
I have learnt a lot from some of theses moms which is a positive.

Is this disappointing ?
Good question, I'm not sure if I am or not, I know my situation is different from most, my kids are not adopted, and RAD mostly develops in adopted kids,  (if anyone is wondering they are my step children) I know my kids don't have RAD as serve as some children have it ..... I consider myself lucky to a degree, but I do have it tough in other areas but like they say each case of RAD is different, different circumstances surround each situation, and no one other than the person in that situation, knows what is really going on.
So I'm not sure if I am disappointed or not.

I then asked myself why I thought all this was.... the no connection and so on.

Well before I say .... I have to tell you that  Kerrie at Good Moms Are a Lot of Things has been my only connection where moms with RAD kids are concerned. Her style of parenting and advice in areas has been a source of joy and at times has helped me move along just that little bit more.

I think its cause I don't harbor on the negative and write solely about the crap in our lives. Also I think its cause my kids are not adopted. I don't have the adoption connection, I am yet to find another mom who has stepchildren with RAD. It reminds me of being in school and being the new girl, and trying to fit in.
I don't want to write about just the crap, that just brings me down more. I think achievements, are more important.

The humor of it all ..... I always wanted children,  I was diagnosed at 24 with premature menopause .... that put an end to that want. So to have these two children is a blessing, whats funny about it is that its not what I  expected I mean why would it be..... I asked God for two children a boy and a girl .... I forgot to ask for a normal parenting experience ... so then why would I have got that normal parenting experience. So cause I think this is funny in all shapes and forms, could that be why people who deal with RAD don't connect with me .....maybe ....I don't mean to make fun of this mental illness .... and I have to say I'm sorry if I have offended anyone.


What do I have in this blog ...?
Well I have a place to come and write about the stuff that makes me happy, the children and their achievements, my love of photography is beginning to shine through ,I'm sure there is other stuff that will end up on this blog before time that will not have any connection with RAD, but it will have a connection to me cause that's what its all about isn't it? ... and then there is you guys, the ones reading my ramblings .... and your comments which always brighten my days and makes me smile.

I never started this blog to gain followers, or to receive comments ....... and I sure don't expect any body to follow me just cause they stumbled across my little space on the web, or leave a comment .... I always leave a comment but I don't expect it from others.... I do appreciate my 12 follows and I appreciate the other 19  from my Select All + Delete Facebook page ......

I started this so people could understand my children, instead of seeing them as naughty children, which they are not... they have problems which makes them act different to other children.
I am going to continue this blog, after all it brings me pleasure and I am so blessed to have connected with so many people from different walks of life, and for that reason alone I'm grateful.

I'm also sorry if this post was a total ramble....and bored the pants of you!

This was a Tuesday Train post.

Perfect Moment Monday: Summer Rain

I love Perfect Moment Monday, purely for the reason of there is so many of these moments in life and its wonderful to try and capture them.... 

Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.

Once a week we engage in mindfulness about something that is right with our world. 

Thank You  Lavender Luz at Weebles Woblog for hosting this each week ...it really is something I look forward to

I know i have already posted about this once (See Summer Rain) this week but really it was a perfect moment for many reasons.

Bop has always been deathly afraid of storms, even when there is no storm she will predicted one when she sees a black cloud, and this to be honest can be very annoying at times ..... it's like living with Mystic Meg.

So when the storm hit on Friday we all held our breaths and waited for her to kick of ..... and waited and waited.

She made a few comments like.

"Don't you think we should close the windows"
And
"Is that lightening getting closer"

Im not sure why she is so scared .... It's not like we only get them every now and again they are pretty frequent through the summer.

Friday for some reason unknown to us was diffrent for her she remained fairly calm as the storm came in and once it was over us she didnt seem to flinch a muscle ........ and then

I surgessted we went out to play in the rain once the lightening and thunder was in the distance and she AGREED.

This is a first and I was shocked, I have surgessted this more than once, and never efore has she taken me up on my offer.

Bop Splashing in Puddles

there are more photos of this moment read Summer Rain

I Capture Perfect Moments.

Simple Sunday Twitter Hop

Oh This is fun..... I dont get to use Titter half as much as I should..... so this is a good excuses to do just that.

Hop on over to Survey Junkie to get the rule ...than away we Twitter

Wanted .....!

I love walking to the mail box and finding a letter just for me ......
Not a letter like a bill, but a letter from a friend, it can be a friend from the other side of the pond or just a friend from the same State.

It doesn't mater where it comes from ..... what matters is, someone was thinking of me and send me a tiny bit of love.

It's something I don't do very ofton, write a letter.

My Mom on the other hand does all the time...... I received a letter from her the other day and Bip said

" Why doesn't Nanny just email you"

" Cause she doesn't have a computer"

He looked at me like I had two heads ......
I explained that she didnt grow up with computers and hence she doesn't really know how to use one and it got me thinking.

Do our kids know how to write a letter, do they know what snail mail even is......

So we got talking about writing leters to people ..... and Bip says like a penpal.
I asked him if he know what a penpal was, without going into a ful explanation here ... he does and now does Bop.

They now want pen pals......
of course they do ..... why wouldn't they .... after all I had one ....what kid wouldn't want one .... its fun finding out about where someone else lives, what their school is like what their hobbies are.

I remember that joy of getting a letter ..... and reading my letter three or four times and taking every little it in... then the visit to the post office to send my letter off..... buying my own stamp and popping it in the post box......Then there was the little parcels..... and buying nice writting paper.

Oh the memories.
So now the task of finding them both pen pals.......

Any takers?

Anyone out there who has children around the 6 to 10 age range who would like to bring some sort of non computer activity to their children's lives which would not only improve handwriting but teach their children the joys of giving and receiving, and just doing something fun.

If your interested or know of someone who might be leave me a comment ......

I would really appreciate it.

Spill The Beans : Saturday.

You know being a SAHM isn't all its cracked up to be ... by Saturday I'm so full to the brim that I need to let it all out.

There is a saying .... Spill the Beans ..... The English idiom “spill the beans” means “to divulge a secret.”

Oh boy do I have some beans to spill ....

In the world of Select All + Delete the beans can be anything from something I found to something that's happened .... Good or Bad
So Saturday is Spill the Beans :Saturday ......

And here are my beans for the week:

Sunday:
I wish I hadn't spend 5 minutes and 15 seconds of my life watching this.
Now its totally your personal choice if you waste 5 minutes and 15 seconds doing the same, I will not be held responsible in any shape or form.




Monday:
While in Stop and Shop one of our local grocery store I had this conversation

Check out girl : " I love your accent are you from Australia"
Me : " No I'm British"
Check out girl : "or South African"
Me : " No British "
Check out girl : " I can't decide, it's hard to tell"
Me : " Well when you do let me know"

Tuesday:
Found a Blog:
Well really I found it on Monday but by Tuesday I realized that this was a daily ready, a daily must ...This wonderful Lady has me giggling everyday.

Found another Blog:
This one I really did find on Tuesday, it was the name that caught my eye first .... and then the contents, I love it, it's so refreshing .... A Beautiful mess

Wednesday:
The realization that there is only 13 days until my parents arrive from the UK for a 6 week visit hits me like a ton of bricks, as I go reeling off to start the super clean up.

Also My wonderful Hubby brought me a yellow rose home, he brought Bop one to... was so cute to see her face as she received her very first flower from her daddy.

Thursday:
Started to read "Building the Bonds of Attachment" by Daniel A. Hughes. It follows the story of Katie, a case study of the development course of this child following years of neglect and abuse.
This is a must read not only for parents of RAD Children but for any one who is a parent in any shape or form.... its good people believe me ..... it will have you hooked.

Friday:
Made my mind up the dog needs to go into therapy .... he's an alcoholic.
Wednesday he drank my Vodka + Coke and then did the same on Friday.

The Hound

So that's my beans for this week ....

Do you have any beans you would like to spill ?

Have a wonderful weekend folks .....

Summer Rain

I love summer rain... mixed in with a tad of thunder and a spark of lightening ...makes for a perfect storm.... after the thunder and lightening Bip and Bop went out to play in the rain...... I followed

Bop Jumping in Puddles

Bop running in the Rain

Bip's Dirty Feet

They had so much fun.... and so did Mom ...... The we spotted the Rainbow .......

The sky was still fairly dark so I"m not sure how well you will see it

Flog Yo Blog Friday

Thanks to Brenda at Mummy-time once again for an awesome flogging of our blogs.... I was think what did you do before Flog Yo Blog ever came along?.... its a bit like cell phones and and the world wide web, and not to forget hair mousse.
Happy Weekend folks !

The devil in your food

So by now many of you know that my two munchies have RAD, but what you may not know is that they also have ADHD.

This was diagnosed before the RAD was which in most case is the normal ... as both can display simple symptoms.

When it was diagnosed in Bip we had to make a decision weather to medicate or not, I am a firm believer ( and this is my belief and I don't push my belief on anyone nor do I judge anyone who doesn't think like I do) that this sort of medication is a personal choice for the child once they get to an age and understand what it is they are taking and why they are taking it.

I have many reasons for this belief which would take far to long to explain but if you really need to know I would be happy to explain myself.

Instead we went down the route of herbal medication which I have mentioned before, called Native Remedies.

This option is no more expensive then traditional medication for ADHD.

Well not long after this was diagnosed I was taking with a friend and she was telling me about a report she had read how food additives and food dyes have this huge effect on children's behavior, and more so with children with ADHD.

The main culprit being Red 40.

Red 40 is found in most foods that are the color red, orange, purple, pink, just think of your primary color chart and what you would use the red for when mixing other colors ... but don't be fooled they have been known to put it in other foods which have no trace of the color red.

While red 40 dye is approved by the FDA, many parents of children with ADHD have had to limit or remove the dye from their children's diets due to its effects on behavior.

Red 40 has been shown to be a trigger for hyperactive behavior in children who consume it regularly, and is also known to exacerbate the negative traits that are associated with ADHD.

Common symptoms that children who are sensitive to red 40 dye experience include but not limited to severe temper tantrums, fidgeting, aggression, inability to focus, and nervousness. The dye has also been linked to physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches.

All of the above both my children experienced.

We conducted a little experiment where we removed red 40 from their diet for 6 weeks, we saw a change fairly quickly ...... all of the above symptoms seem to be reduced after 5 days of with drawing any form of red 40 from their diet.

After six weeks we gave them both an ice pop a red juice ice pop.... I think with in an hour I had regretted this ..... but my point was proved.

Some people say that my kids are not servery RAD .... they don't throw fits they don't kick and scream they don't harm me they don't bite ... they are not RAD extreme ....

Well to those people let me tell you they use to, on a daily basic .... it was all part of everyday living at one point or another.

When red 40 was removed from their diet this did subside, they still throw fits they still kick and scream they still do harm to themselves and others but not to the extent they use to.

I just chose not to write about that sort of thing, and try to focus on the positive and the humour of it all... if I didn't I would do and go crazy, taking my kids with me.

I know when sticky fingers has found candy that Ive forgot to throw away which is positivity injected with red 40 ( did i forget to mention I'm not perfect and sometimes forget stuff).
I have known when they have eaten something away from the home without me, and chose not to say

" I can't eat that it has red 40 in it"

I don't blame them when they do this.... lets face it they are kids... and food can look so yummy even when you know its bad for you... we all do it when on a diet.

I can now speed read labels and the weekly shop doesn't take 4 hours ....... the kids can also speed read food ingredient.

Ive also educated them both and other members of the family on the effects of this evil ingredient, and now a days they refuse or will say why they cant have something to others....

There has been mistakes Ive made, some big some small, like cough medication, even shampoo and bubble bath.. if its red its more than likely got red 40 in it,(there are some foods etc etc that don't but they are far and few between) bubble bath and shampoo can seep into their pores and do the same damage,

Ive learnt the hard way on most things like this ....

My recent findings .... Tartrazine FD&C Yellow No.5 and Sunset Yellow FD&C Yellow No.6 and any other yellow with a number after it is pretty much going to have an effect on them to... not as bad but its still visible.

So you may or may not find this useful ....but either way I hope you have learnt something new ... and that you may even pass this along to educate someone else who may need to know this information.

Don't they look yummy

A Collection

Over at Life through the Lens .... Kristi joined forces with Melissa from Savoring the Details, and together each week they do a collaboration project.

You should really go check it out some of the work they do together is pretty awesome.

They opened this up for everyone to join in.... just send them your link in a comment once your photo is up....
This weeks theme is "Collection"
I have tons of stuff that you could call a collection... i think my mom would call it junk but even still to me its a collects... but it get it to look like a collect is another story....

So since last night I have been racking my brains as what to take a photo of.... came up with loads of ideas.... and was going to put it together tonight.

My photo turns out to be a total inspiration after stopping at a local farm stand this afternoon....
I have Bop to than for this photo.... it might not be a personal collection but it sure is a collection....

In the words of Bop... " Look Mommy, it's a collection of beans"
The light went on and thank goodness I had my camera on me... which is not unusual.

So here is my "Collection"