I scream, you scream...

It's conference time around here, so to celebrate, I made the girls a "No-School Sundae Bar". 

The extra girls are neighborhood friends.

Everyone's conference went really well, we're proud of all three of them.  

That said...Taresa, I'm sorry we left the block center reeking of baby poop.  Thank you Rowyn, for saving that for her room...I'm sure the conference after ours was a smelly one.


I'm sorry to Cooper's teacher that had to witness Camdyn whip her princess shoes off, stand on a desk, and attempt to launch herself on a tower of stacked chairs.  I'm also sorry about the markers you bribed her with after said event.  I realize they no longer have tips thanks to her extra violent polka dotting.


Whew.

Boys and Bats

After my depressing post yesterday, I thought we needed something happier.

The boys playing Mario on the Wii = Happy

Camdyn, Rowyn, and I made bats from a template found here.  We had fun, although Camdyn says they would have been better with glitter.  Duh...everything is better with glitter.

For chaos therapy, I started painting the kitchen yesterday.

What if?

If a person attacks your children, what would you do?

What if they call your children names?

What if they bully other kids?

What if this same person hits you?

What if they put holes in your wall?

What if they have no friends?

What if no one wants to be around them?

What if the person responsible for all this was your child? 

Yesterday was an especially bad day.  I found myself mad one minute, screaming another, pleading another, and crying another.  But it's not all about me.
 
I feel so bad for Rowyn, who often takes the blunt of her aggression.  
I feel bad for Riley who always defends Camdyn, when others are saying how mean and awful she is.  Camdyn attacks Riley, ruins her things, screams at her...yet in the end, Camdyn is her sister and she will defend her till the end.  
I feel bad for all of them, because I don't want to take them places out of fear of how Camdyn will behave.


Most of all, I feel sad and scared. For Camdyn.
She is my child, albeit she drives me crazy most days, but she isn't choosing to be who she is.  Who would?  Who would choose to be a 4-year-old without friends, without playmates?  Who would want to get yelled at all the time?  Who would choose to be so impulsive?  

Camdyn has ADHD and ODD. 

I can't change that.  No sticker chart or behavior modification program is going to change that.  Being more strict or less strict isn't going to make things easier.  Seeing a child psychologist isn't going to make Camdyn wake up one morning and act "normal".  This is who she is.  I realize in the whole scope of things, it could be much, much worse.  She's healthy, she's here with us...but as a parent, we want our kids to have easy lives.  To be happy.  To have friends.  To have fun.  To be loved.  To be accepted.



I feel helpless and
  I feel like I'm failing her 
and it sucks.

 

Pumpkin Carving 2010

Rowyn wanted nothing to do with cleaning out her pumpkin.

Both Camdyn and Rowyn's pumpkins are held together with toothpicks, because of course, 10 seconds after we carved them, they broke them.

Clyde took one look at his "Dora" pumpkin and knew it was going to make my blog today.  You made the effort and Camdyn was happy, that's all that matters.

That said, I think it looks more like Moe from The Three Stooges.

Mario Kart

Rowyn can't believe she came in last.  

Little did she know, she wasn't really playing anyway.

Iowa vs Michigan

A wolverine and a hawkeye.

There's going to be some fighting around here tomorrow. (okay, more fighting than usual) Haha!

Someone, didn't want to be left out. Daddy is a big San Fran fan, so he's managed to warp Cooper and Camdyn into thinking they're THE team. Seeing as the 49ers are 0 and 5, I'm not sure I'd want to be caught dead in that shirt. 

Go Bears!  

Sewing

Now that the kids are back in school, I've had a little more time to sew.  I found some pink tea towels at the dollar tree and am in the process of making them into pillows.

I bought some plain black and orange bags at the end of the season last year and am finally getting around to decorate them. 

I enjoy sewing once the machine is set up and working, but switching thread, filling bobbins, and figuring out stitches and tension is not my forte.  It's almost comical that I have all these patterns bookmarked on my computer, because at this point, I have troubles just sewing in a straight line. And what is with all this ironing crap?  Iron this seam...press down your hem.  Really people, I hardly ever iron my clothes, much less iron something that may or may not even turn out in the end.  I'm sure the whole 'practice makes perfect' holds true here, but I don't have the patience for that. 

Pumpkin Eggs

Rowyn and I made pumpkin-shaped eggs this morning for breakfast.  Unfortunately, Rowyn was more interested in Dora the Explorer than her breakfast.

We buttered both sides of the bread, used a pumpkin cookie cutter, baked the bread and egg in the oven for about 8 minutes.  I added some chocolate chips for the face later, because everyone should have chocolate for breakfast.  Add grapes and yogurt with granola and you're good to go.

Do not ask her to smile while eating...or else.

Parachutes

Today Boots and Dora joined the airborne rangers. We made their parachutes out of plastic grocery bags. You'll need a plastic bag, tape, scissors or rotary cutter, thread, a pen, and a toy that isn't afraid of heights. In this case, Boots volunteered.

Cut a square out of one of the sides of the bag.

Carefully, punch a hole in each corner with your pen.

Cut four equal lengths of thread, thread one in each corner, and tie into a knot.

Gather the thread, tie off a knot, and tape the tails of the thread to the back of your toy. Crumple up the parachute and place the toy on top...now launch it!

It may take a few tries before your toddler grasps the concept...they must go up, to come down.
(Look at those little calves...haha!)


Twirling it back and forth is always fun.


And when everything becomes tangled, call for Mom.

Fall

Rowyn loves the swing set. I love the sunshine. So, we were both happy.

31 Bits

Have you heard of 31 Bits?

31 Bits began in 2008 when five college students from Southern California traveled to Uganda and met six amazing women. The girls saw there was a need for change: the women needed shelter, food, medication, school fees for their children, and the list continued…. The women attempted to provide for their families by creating hand-made jewelry, but due to the lack of market, their income was hardly sustainable. 31 Bits was formed when the girls knew they could make a difference; they had to do something to partner with their new friends. 31 Bits now works directly with the women in Uganda, enabling them to make a better life for their families by providing a market for their jewelry.

31 Bits has grown from partnering with 6 women to 35.

All the jewelry is made using recycled paper, they're unique in color, and they're gorgeous! Their new Elasticity line just became available.

Halloween

Before you say anything, I know, I know it's not even October yet...but my mantel was ready for a change. Yes, that is a crow. He and the skulls came from the dollar tree. Rowyn hates crows. I'm not sure if she thinks they're going to eat her or poop on her head. Either way, she wants nothing to do with the mantel. The hand print came from The Graphics Fairy.

Etsy Love

JohnWGolden has some great signs, the 'brush your teeth' is currently hanging in the kids bathroom, but really if I hung these all over my house, it would save some time yelling. ;)

Minimooh...and look at the matching little brother outfit, haha!

Thewheatfield = love

Justhatched has some of the neatest wooden puzzles, especially the fall leaves and the phases of the moon.

Work it, girl

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins, Rowyn style.

The Contortionist

Yes, that's Rowyn squeezed into the Graco Doll Pack N Play...big shout out to Mother Lumpy for that one.

Dr Rowyn, the Pediatrician

While the other kids were at school, Rowyn had great fun having the toy room to herself. I folded laundry while she played. When I came back in, she had the doctor kit out and a wee little patient.

The shades are a must in case of blood borne pathogens...

Embarrassed when she realized I was watching. ;)