Stacy went in for an evaluation on her communication device since her speech is real bad. She was using a device that was technically a laptop computer that ran Windows 98 with some added software for voice communication by Words Plus. It really didn't work to the way we wanted and the system is now over 3.5 yrs old. Alread outdated. She had to use switch scanning to use the programs which was really frustrating to her as it was too slow and sometimes not slow enough. Never could find the middle for it. Her evaluator is thinking about a system called Dynovox. I will have a chance to meet with a rep from the company (on December 1)  that makes these communication devices so I am sure that will help me get so many questions regarding the system answered. I am just wanting something that will help my almost 14 yr old communicate like she really wants to (kind of like us adults do) and also be able to participate better with all school classes too.

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I had an appointment with my stepson's teacher yesterday. He is in 6th grade and really struggling. We got his report card and things were worse than I thought. His regular classes (not PE) were terrible. He received 2 C's, 3 D's, and 1 F. His teacher doesn't feel he should have been promoted to 6th grade and I happen to agree with her. He is on academic probation since his GPA is 1.57. He will not be able to participate in any school activities like dances, sports, etc.

I was really expecting things to go bad after seeing his grades. His father use to have a tendency of blowing fuses, which always left them both completely angry with each other and major attitude problems with them both. Since we became a family and joined together, things have been going smoothly. Yes, there are times when they butt heads and things going out of control (hard habits for them both to break), but it has been easily fixable and thankfully we all are learning to work towards a better relationship with each other. Anyways, after letting dad know what was going on and how the grades actually were, dad and I went into the room and discussed what we would do as a disciplinary action and course of action to take to help him.

As a result of his poor grades, he has lost his PS2, hanging around a boy that lives down the street, and now goes to bed an hour earlier. Both dad and I sat him down and discussed the report card and what needs to happen now. We had him come up with ideas on how to improve his grades and also consequences of not doing those ideas. We also made him aware of things we were going to do to help him succeed at accomplishing his goals for improving his grades.

We began as a united front, nice and calm, taking into consideration thoughts and feelings of us and our son. I am very pleased with the outcome. There was not a single iota of attitude from anyone. Our son understood everything and was really ok with it all. That was the real shocker. He actually was listening, giving suggestions, and cooperating. This family is really doing great. :)

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Definitely been busy and going strong. The kids are doing well. I started working with Sean a little more with chapter books and studies. He is doing amazingly well. He reads with such fluency that I get overwhelmed. He stresses certain areas, and reads with lots of feeling. I am definitely a proud mom, especially since I actually did not teach him to read. We tried working with Teach Your Child to Read and also Frontline Phonics back in Kindergarten, but he didn't seem ready, so we put it aside for about 5 months. Then we began little bits again with Frontline Phonics. But we were not really progressing that well. All of a sudden, he just picked up on it more like on his own. I guess all the reading we have done with him just clicked in. It is amazing how different kids learn. I just let this one go at his own and he got it all.

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We had 3 birthdays this past week. Both my girls, the 5th and 12th. They really had some special days. They were so excited and happy with the parties. Our littlest one, Becky - 6, received her big bike and CD player which made her jaw drop both times. It was definitely worth the wait to see that expression. Our 11 yr old, Konola, received a portable karoke machine which excited her far beyond what I was expecting. We also had our neice's birthday on Sunday. Now, on to Thanksgiving! :)

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The next 2 months are going to be busy. We have Rebecca's and Konola's birthdays this week and then our neice's. Of course we have Thanksgiving... and I am thrilled that we have all of the kids for it. It is Jack's year to have the 2. So we will be starting some new traditions and family celebrations to give our family somegreat memories. And we will be holding Thanksgiving at our house for the family. I am actually looking forward to a great time with everyone. Once December starts, we will begin with Shawn's birthday and of course some family members also. And of course Christmas.

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The past few months, things have been kind of hectic around our place. Too many family members passing and too many extra problems keep arising. My house started showing the signs of all of this going on. I decided that I had enough and went back to my routines.... all thanks to Flylady. I am making changes to go back to the way things were before I got involved with Jack. My house will continue to stay clean and I will feel better about our home and us. I just needed some friends to remind me of how things were and how they were appearing the past few months. Now, I just need to make sure I don't lose it again.

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