For a while now I have been wanting to get my own Erin Condren planner. I was finally able to get one for Christmas. I LOVE it! Been using it everyday since the 1st and just love how it is set up. I love how colorful it is and how it has the pocket and zipper thing in the back. I find that if I can make lists of things I need to do, they are way more likely to get done.
Made with My Memories Suite!
Okay, I haven’t blogged about my son’s special needs much at all. I am not sure why. I have attempted to start a post about it every once in a while but never was able to write anything. In this new year, I told myself I wanted to start blogging about. Especially now that we think something could be going on with one of my other sons (which will be a different post.)
Up until the time my son was about two, there wasn’t anything about him that made me think anything was wrong. I had a very normal low-key pregnancy and birth with him. Other than jaundice he never really got too sick. Just a cold here and there. At about two though I started to wonder if something was going on. We were in Germany and I noticed that he was just not talking like the other kids his age. He had said his first words when he should have but he never really progressed past that when he should have. I use to take him to a playgroup onthe post. While there a lady from EDIS (Early Development Intervention Services) use to come by to hand out these quizzes. You would get one for whatever age your child was and filled them out to see if there was any cause for concern. I did this for Daniel and it was obvious he was pretty behind on his communication skills.
I made an appointment with EDIS since he was still under three. We did a bunch of testing and at almost three his speech was more like an 18-month-old. He was also behind in fine motor skills and social skills. Since he was just about to turn three he was eligible to start at the special needs preschool they had on the post. It took a few months but he started going four days a week for about 2.5 hours a day.
At this time, he was also going to the two-day program and they encouraged me to keep him in that too. That was a lot of school for a three-year-old but he really enjoyed it. He was/is such a social kid that it was great for him. We moved about six months later and then it was summer break. The next fall he started at the same type of preschool at a different school. Right around when he turned four he was diagnosed with having a Developmental Delay for cognitive and communication. Basically, this means that he is behind in a few areas such as speech, fine motor skills, and behavior.
Between the ages of three-five were the most difficult for me. Part of it could have been because Ben was deployed twice during that time but I really think the older Daniel gets, the better things are going to be. He is seven now and although he is still behind an average seven-year-old he has come so far. In May, he no longer needed to work with an OT. His fine motor skills are so much better now. He can write and even read a little bit. His speech is doing so much better. He still has trouble with some words and there are still some things he says that even I can’t understand but he has really grown in the last couple of years.
I remember when we first moved back to the US. He was five and I broke down because I couldn’t even have a conversation with my son. I would ask him questions and he just couldn’t respond the way he should. Now, we have conversations all the time. He can speak in full sentences, tell me stories, tell me about his day, tell me what he learned at school and all that. This is so new to us and I really treasure it.
They told me a few years ago that they think by the time he hits about the second grade he is going to be pretty caught up. I think this could be true as long as things continue to get better. Right now he is in a regular kindergarten class. Last year he was in a special needs Kindergarten. We made the decision to have him repeat Kindergarten in a regular class and now that we have a few months of the school year under our belt we are very happy we made this decision. He seems to be a little ahead academically but socially it is the right place for him.
Now that Christmas is over, so is my Christmas baking. There is just something about the Christmas season that makes me want to bake a bunch of things. I tend to go a little crazy but it is worth it because we always have a lot of yummy treats.
Right before Christmas I made some peanut butter blossoms (which are my favorite) and then used this peanut butter chocolate chip recipe to make some yummy cookies. I got both of these recipes from Bake at 350 which I think is my new favorite baking blog!
Then the day before Christmas we made Christmas cookies. I used two recipes. The first one Alyssa at Near Normalcy told me about from Cake Central. This one tasted good and it dried really fast. I didn’t make it quite thick enough though. The other recipe was also on Cake Central called Antonia74 Royal icing and it had a lot of great reviews. It turned out well but I really wish I had a KitchenAid mixer or something besides a hand mixer. Hoping that can happen sometime in 2012.
I am still unsure about the icing dripping out like that. I am guessing I will figure it out with more practice.
The boys helped me with this batch so we made some fun interesting cookies this time. It was a lot of fun watching them come up with different designs. I love my happy face.
Since one of my goals for 2012 is to lose about 30lbs, I really have to make sure I am not tempted to eat so many of the treats I want to make. I am going to start off working on one batch of cookies and making one cake a month. Most likely I will make it for some event or for someone else. I want to keep practicing without always having a ton of sweets in the house.
Social Media Christmas
I love this!
Soldier’s Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone I had come down the chimney with presents to give
In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.
And to see just who in this home did live.I looked all about a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.With medals and badges, awards of all kind
A sober thought came through my mind.For this house was different, so dark and dreary,
I knew I had found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.I heard stories about them, I had to see more
So I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.And there he lay sleeping silent alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one bedroom home.His face so gentle, his room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States soldier.Was this the hero of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?His head was clean shaven, his weathered face tan,
I soon understood this was more then a man.For I realized the families that I saw that night
Owed their lives to these men who were willing to fight.Soon ‘round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.They all enjoyed freedom each month of the day,
Because of soldiers like this one lying here.I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone
On a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.The solder awakened and I heard a rough voice,
“Santa don’t cry, this life is my choice;I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”With that he rolled over and drifted off into sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.I watched him for hours, so silent and still,
I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
And I covered this Soldier from his toes to his head.And I put on his T-shirt of gray and black,
With an eagle and an Army patch embroidered on back.And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
And for a shining moment, I was United States Army deep inside.I didn’t want to leave him on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.Then the soldier rolled over, whispered with a voice so clean and pure,
“Carry on Santa, it’s Christmas day, all is secure.”One look at my watch, and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night!
By Major Bruce W. Lovely
So a few weeks ago I heard about making cookies with Royal icing. I am sure I had eaten it before but now I knew what it was and how to make it. Since my son was having a Christmas party I thought I would make some Christmas cookies he could take to the party. I have made Christmas cookies many times but I have never made Royal icing. I read a couple of blogs that helped me figure it out. The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle had an awesome Sugar cookie recipe. She also had some great tips about working with Royal icing. Bake at 360 had a lot of great tips too. I saw these Christmas tree cookies and used them as a guide to make my own. I decided to use the Wilton’s Royal icing recipe to see if I would like it or not. It seems like it has received mixed reviews. I did add a little vanilla to it though.
The icing itself was not hard to make. I divided it up into four different colors. Green, darker green, red and brown. I used this idea (this is a video) from Karen’s Cookies to make it a little easier for myself.
With Royal icing you use different consistencies for different things that you want to do. I made some with piping consistency and some with flood consistency for each color. I think the green turned out the best. I think I messed up on the red and brown. The red was hard to make the color I wanted it to be too. I still have a lot to learn about making this stuff.
I put the flood icing in these bottles. Picked them up for cheap at Walmart.
The piping consistency icing went in the bags.
Making the outline
I was excited to figure out how to make the dots.
Who wants a cookie?
I am really excited I decided to attempt to make these. I admit I was a little overwhelmed but it was fun. I plan to make another batch for Christmas and then something fun for New Year’s Eve. I think the next time I make them I will only stick to one cookie cutter. I also tried to make Santas, reindeer and a few other things. I just think it might be easier to make all of one type. I also think I will stick to a max of three colors. I want to play around with some other Royal icing recipes and see what I like best. The Wilton one was okay but I want to see if I can find something I like better.
What are you baking this week?
Today my husband graduated from WLC! WLC stands for Warrior Leader Course. I am so proud of him! He has been waiting to go to WLC forever it seems. For one reason or another it hasn’t worked out until now. Baby J and I were able to attend the graduation ceremony today. I sadly didn’t see Ben during the actual ceremony. I just knew he was in the back row and he knew that we were there. It gave me chills when all the men and women started singing the Army Song. What a great feeling that was! To know Ben was apart of something like this. That he was entering into a different role in the Army. That he will be moving on to new responsibilities both when he is at home and when he has to go to war again.
After the ceremony they gave us 10 minutes to spend with the soldiers but it took me about that long to find him. When I did I gave him a hug and a kiss and told him congratulations. I am glad that the training is over. It will be great having him around for dinner again.
Have you ever had a Christmas without your spouse? If you have ever gone through a Christmas when they are deployed it can be very difficult and lonely.
We have done it twice. Once in 2005 (although not a deployment, he was in Germany and I was in the US waiting to join him) and once in 2008. In 2006 we got lucky since I had a baby and they sent him home on R&R over Christmas.
1) Plan to visit family or have them come visit you. If you can’t be with your husband on Christmas morning, family might just be the next best thing. they can step in, keep you busy and allow you to have fun with others even if you are really missing your spouse.
2) If you can’t be with family or don’t want to be, make plans with friends. This is what we did in 2008. My parents were coming in January so it was just the boys and I for Christmas. We had our time opening gifts at home and then we got together with my friend and her kids. It made for a fun day. Lots of playtime for the kids and lots of emotional support for us moms.
3) Make a fun gift package to send to your husband. Check the dates to make sure he will get it in time. If for some reason you can’t send him something, make him something and save it for him. Even if he is going to get home in the Spring or Summer, he will still enjoy it. There are a lot of great ideas you can do for a cake package for Christmas when they are deployed.
4) Video tape the festivities. He may not be able to be there in person but at least he can see how the day went. Have the kids create a special video message for him too. Video tale opening the gifts. Being able to watch this can make your spouse feel closer to home during a Christmas when they are deployed.
5) Think about it. Think about the military life and how some years you will be apart for certain holidays but the next year you might not be. Think about the holidays you have spent together.
6) Create new traditions. Maybe you will save the stocking for later when he is home. Who cares if it is February? Have your Christmas a month early if he is leaving right before December. Don’t worry about celebrating on the actual day. As military family our lives are not normal, why do our holidays have to be?
7) Remember you are not alone. I know it is easy to think that you are the only one without your husband during Christmas but it just isn’t true. There are a lot of other spouses in your shoes. Some in the military, some are apart for other reasons. You aren’t the only one, even if it feels like it.
For more tips to get through the holidays, check out the Care.com Interview Series. Also check out the Care.com Military Families page for a lot of great resources for Military families.
