The Tree, The Storm, and The Stakes

There is a wonderful analogy spoken of in Christian circles. It is one that helps the believer to understand why a loving God would allow trials into the lives of those He adores. I speak of the analogy of the tree and the storm. The illustration basically boils down to this, in order for trees to be strong, they need deep roots. In order to have deep roots, they need to withstand storms. It is the storm that encourages the tree to plant firm roots so as to not topple over. In contrast, trees with shallow roots will easily fall at the slightest squall.

This morning, on the drive to my 16 year old's high school, I was able to remind him about the purpose of storms in our lives. This past year we have been introduced to facets of our son's life that have been overshadowed throughout the 11 years since his and his sister's adoption. The details of these facets will, I am sure, make the topic of a future blog post. For now, understand that our son has endured far more storms than the Hubster and I were aware of. These disturbances, that we as parents have had no control of, have been brewing in my son's mind for the entirety of his life with us. Often, he can no longer hold back the pressure of life so he finds opportunity to release his anger, hurt and frustration in the place he feels safest, our home. Last night we, as a family, experienced one of those episodes.

This morning, with the burden relieved, my son was in a place where he could receive some maternal wisdom. I explained that he has had an abundance of storms in his life and that his Dad, the Hubster, and I know he will be able to overcome them. While overcoming these trials, his roots will grow so deep that, we know, he will not be moved nor shaken. He will be stronger than anyone I know. But it is in the overcoming that he will be made stronger, not in the storm itself.

At that moment, I had an epiphany and began to speak to myself as well. You see, when we plant young trees, we use posts or stakes to support them until their roots are mature. Usually, there are two stakes. The responsibility of the stakes are to help the tree not to need them anymore. There the stakes stand, one on each side of the young tree, both gently but firmly holding on to this new life. It is a fine balance, the responsibility of a stake, hold on too tight and the tree can be choked, it could snap when confronted with resistance, or the tree could grow and envelop the stake, never to be free and independent. Yet, take to weak of a grasp and that tree is at the whim of it's environment.


I continued down the road of the responsibility of the stake. You see, the thing about stakes is, they don't leave when the storms come, They withstand the storm with the tree to help it through the winds it would not overcome on it's own. It is during the storm that the stakes' work is most difficult and most important. The stake needs to be planted firmly. The stake needs to be sure of it's job. The stake needs to support yet allow the environment to affect the tree so the roots may grow deep. The stake does this in hopes that the tree will no longer rely on it and will flourish on its own.

As parents, we stand along side our children. We try to find that balance of strength and flexibility. As parents we weather all that our child endures and hopefully help our young ones to learn for themselves. As parents we set our goals to, one day, watch our child flourish, on his own, independent of us.

Tailor Made

All of the AMAZING photos are by the Beautiful Brooke of Brooke Photography

I don't know about you but the most difficult parenting skill to learn for me is consistency.  I am not necessarily aiming to make everything fair or even for each child, nor do I always respond to an action with the same reaction.  What I do mean is consistently providing for each child what he or she needs at the time.  That could range from standing outside, in 32 degree weather, making sure those laps being run up and down the street are finished appropriately, to stopping cooking dinner for a family of eight, and  kneeling down to explain for the 20th time that she will be eating with in the hour, so a snack is not a wise choice right now.  Meeting a child where they are at and personalizing our parenting according to the specific situation and need is way easier said than done.

As I am sure you have figured out by now, the Hubster and I have had a wide array of parenting experiences.  We have children who would oppose correction with every fiber of their beings, children who quake in their shoes when a voice is raised slightly, and quite a variety in between.  Within our parental hearts and minds, being consistent is often confronted with guilt, impatience, as well as exhaustion.  Too often, I try to avoid the effort it takes to do the job right the first time, only to pay for it in the end.  (Ironically, I have had that talk with quite a few of my kiddos, some more recently and frequently than others) So far, five out of my six kids have brought me to tears because of my fatigue due to the repetition and tenaciousness of a situation with them.  The reluctance to follow through with consequences such as returning gifts or canceling birthday parties hinders many opportunities to train our children.   I can't count how many times I have witnessed an infraction that I "didn't have the time" to deal with, only to be presented, sooner than later, with another opportunity to follow through and sharpen my parenting skills.  This time though, I have to take on the previous groundwork my lack of effort had inadvertently laid.  Still, it is the Hubster's and my job to do what we signed up for, raise responsible, respectful, and reachable children.

Schulze Girls

So, how do we do it?  To be honest, I am not fully sure myself.  I do know we depend a lot upon God's wisdom, hoping we hear His Spirit speaking to our hearts. Our parenting consists a lot of fixing our mistakes and admitting we were misguided in our child rearing blunders.  Our kids learn about humility, how to handle mistakes as well as apologies.  Although, in certain situations, we need to stick to our guns no matter what.  At the tender age of five we could have sworn that our first born child was on the road to law school. We often could be found succumbing to his logic, only to shake ourselves and remind us and him just who the parent was.  Other children of ours are quite convincing with their untruths (OK, lies).  Our solution was to present the consequence to all six siblings in hopes the true offender would fess up.  One child in particular would stand her ground while her brothers and sisters joined her in the discipline du jour.  Although, Usually, the peer pressure helps the guilty party to cave. Occasionally, we have had to switch gears and confront our child with the blind faith that what our parental instincts were telling us was true.  

 Many times, the Hubster and I are not on the same exact page in a certain discipline matter, that is when we use the "fall back" method.  We usually move to neutral ground (our bedroom) and discuss our game plan.  After some agreeing and conceding has been accomplished we move forward in what ever plan has been generated.  We actually put this tactic into practice just a few hours ago.  I loved that we listened to one another, called the child into our headquarters, listened to him, dismissed him, constructed our plan, called said child to return, and laid the prospective program out for him.  No chaotic emotions at all.

One of my favorite tools is the "self created discipline".  One child, in particular had this "making things bigger thing" mastered.  For instance, trying to avert a massive breakdown, I instructed my son to go to his room, calm down, and then he could return to the rest of us.  As he STOMPED to his room he was easily heard shouting, "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED WITHOUT DINNER!"  To which I stated, "Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that. What a great idea!!! OK, when you are in your room put your jammies on.  You will be going to bed soon after."  Another of my children tried this tactic and realized, rather quickly, it wasn't for her.

Schulze Boys

The old, "Peanut butter sandwich and water" treatment works for three of our kids, but not for the other three.  I don't cook for people who are disrespectful to me so, someone else makes the necessary meal.  For half of my kids missing out on the regular meal is detrimental.  My oldest daughter would prefer that fare more often than not.  Her big brother is allergic, and her youngest sister could care less. 

Singing, hugs, hands on noses, foreheads on walls, holding hands, happy hats, sitting in on classes, random dancing, chores, writing, exercise, repetition, missing out, are all items we use to encourage our children to do the right thing.  

Preventative maintenance, though, tends to help all of the above be fewer and farther between.  Taking the time to listen to, snuggle with, and attend to my child minimizes his or her demand upon me and/or the Hubster.  Nightly dinners around our table are imperative.  We catch up on each other's days, reminisce, plan and bond.  Just by eating meals together we express how important our kids' thoughts and ideas are to us.  The kiddos' individuality blossoms around the table.  I don't know of a better place to get to know your family let alone anyone else.


With all of our strengths and weaknesses, successes and mistakes, similarities and differences, it just goes to show parenting is not a "one size fits all" venture. Good parenting needs to be "tailor made".

Joe: What You See Is What You Get.

"My life is an open book." is a saying that pretty much applies in my case.  Not that the life I live is perfect in any way nor am I free and clear of embarrassing moments, much less poor decision making.  Accepting all of the beautiful and the ugly that I bring to this world helps me ou t of controlccept the situations that appear in my life. It also helps me to know my strengths and where I may need to lean on others a bit more.  The weaknesses are actually something I cherish, although sometimes reluctantly.  It is through those deficiencies that God often does His best work in me.  It is through my shortcomings that He tests my trust in Him.  Have you ever wondered, when met with a life changing moment, if you would rise to the call?  My children are used quite often to answer that question.  Each member of our family has a different chapter in my book that is ever changing and used to mature me emotionally as well as spiritually. 

The "Joe" chapter of our lives began rather abruptly.  While on his morning commute to work, and during his weekly phone call to the newest grandparent addition, the Hubster found out the baby had been born and was currently residing with the birth mom who was yet to be freed from her addiction.  Being foster parents, mandated reporters, and the adoptive parents of the baby's siblings, our hands were tied.  Legally, we had to make the call.  During our subsequent phone contact, I remember telling the Hubster, "We need to pray about this."  Although that was never accomplished together, I know our hearts were united with our Lord's as the day went on.

My job, going direct to the solution and contacting our recently relieved CPS case worker, skipping that toll free number all together.  As I relayed the current news, I found the words, "Keep us in mind." flowing effortlessly out of my mouth.  Her reply, "Are you sure?"  Our first meeting with this amazing social worker had occurred only eleven months prior.  Since that original contact she had been a key player in our recent adoption of Angel and Alize, which blessed her heart after knowing them for two and a half years.  For some reason, I don't think my affirmative answer surprised her much.

That is when the pacing in literal circles began.  While on the phone with a dear friend of mine I realized my most recent newborn was on her way to double digits that year.  "What do you need?" was heard over the receiver.  "Diapers?" was all I could think of as my mind continued to spin out of control.  As I remember, our day was up and down emotionally.  The Hubster was prepared to leave work as soon as the call would come in.  Which it did later in the afternoon and he soon came home.  We then needed to pick our older three from school.  Number four

had been hanging out with me all day as usual.  A crazy, exciting vibe was hovering around our family. Just thirteen months ago we had two kids and now, we were just about to receive number five.  

After a couple of false alarms and a drive-thru dinner we decided to keep our Wednesday schedule in tact. Once we had our minds set, we got the phone call.  Where would we like to meet and receive the five day old boy?  We were on our way to church, so why not there.  That was just where they would drop him off.  We like to say, Joe was delivered in the church parking lot.  We had a baby.  

Soon, in the church office, my sweet friend hauled in five Target bags filled with everything I would need.  As we emptied them, one item at a time, we were able to share this special moment with a couple other ladies.  Our impromptu shower was as sweet and as unexpected as the bundle I was blessed with just minutes prior.

Joe's inception into the Schulze family was an adventure.  His infancy was no less exciting.  Our newest member was quite vocal.  His song of choice was more like screaming, OK, it was screaming.  Our sweet baby would scream for anything and everything and not just a regular scream, it was a bone chilling, I understand why some people can't handle this, kind of scream.  Joe had been exposed to methamphetamine daily for at least the first five months of his pregnancy.  I am sure these screeches were the result of that cause.  

The next year we would bond as mother and son, spend time in courtrooms, with social workers, and at doctor's offices.  We would share visits with biological family as well as other adoptive families.  We would endure, spine tingling screams, sleepless nights, and the anxiety linked with adoption through the foster care system.  We would give this boy his first haircut at three months, watch him stand and then walk, and discover that sign language would minimize the shrieking greatly.  We would snuggle him, cuddle him, and fall in love with him.  After fifteen months in our care, Joe became a Schulze.

Now, as we grow closer to his seventh birthday I look at my son and see an articulate, charismatic, affectionate little guy.  I see an innate protective instinct that will assure the safety of many in his future.  I see his love for family, friends, and God.  I see his self confidence as well as his timidity.  I see a sparkle in his eye and a spring in his step when he is enjoying life.  I see deep pain and sorrow when things go astray. He feels intensely and loves profoundly.  This boy lives life to it's extreme.  

Because of his living life on the so-called edge, I wonder about his prospective future.  I wonder about the possibilities.  I know that whatever he encounters, he will take it head on, with his whole heart.  There is not much grey area with my fifth child.  He either does or he doesn't, he either is or he isn't, he either will or he won't.  With Joe, what you see is what you get.

Deterring Deviations

This past week I spent my mornings sitting in the back of my 7th grader's class.  I did not go there to embarrass him, contrary to what he thought my purpose was.  I did not go to make sure he was doing the right thing by policing him nor to investigate his friendships.  I went to observe him in his natural surroundings.  I knew my presence, though, made the common habits of a 13 year old boy difficult.  Still, I had my eyes searching for any type of academic engagement.  

My son is quite capable of a "B" average, straight "A's" if he pushes himself.  In his circle of peers, though, it is not the popular thing to raise your hand in class, whether to ask a question or to give an answer.  I guess the teens are concerned with looking too smart or too confused. As a result, some bad habits, accompanied with matching grades, have begun to emerge.  My job is to help my son overcome previous choices, but such a task can be daunting and trying to produce new habits in this kid is not easy.  Fortunately, I am a parent committed to grow responsible young people.  

 I actually had a pretty good time at school.  I sat in my designated chair, opened my tablet and then developed a system to keep track of his involvement.  Next, I diligently invested my time on Pinterest planning dinners for the next couple of weeks (complete with grocery list). Texting the hubster to keep him filled in on all of the hand raising, answering and asking of questions was of severe importance.  I then kept up on facebook, noting the new things I learned like what an "ellipsis" is.  I also did some blog planning but did not have much time to actually write. All I really needed, was my physical attendance in the back of the class. Who really cared what exactly I was doing.  My son would rarely look back to see if I was still there, it was easier to be in denial if he didn't actually see me. Needless to say, my child's teachers noticed an increase in academic activity as well as appropriate behavior.  

It has taken me a few years but I have finally realized, why must the discipline initiated for my child be a punishment for me?  I began to see the need for me to retain my sanity.  So I try to make the most of my child's corrections.  I could have sulked in that seat.  I could have documented the deviations.  Instead, I sought out positive conduct and made sure my needs were met also.

After three days, three hours each, I have been asked to "pop in" anytime I want a few times a week.  Kind of keeping my son on his toes, so-to-speak.  Hopefully we can assist this boy in forming new habits both educationally as well as socially.

Today, I popped in, unannounced, went back to my chair and updated my grocery list.  Just prior to leaving for his math class, my son was invited outside to take a spelling test he had missed.  In his absence, I too became absent.  I did wait to leave the school, as he would pass the parking lot on the way to math.  I wanted him to see my van and anticipate me joining the class at any moment.  Instead, I popped into my vehicle, drove to the grocery store, pulled up that grocery list, and shopped for those dinners.  

Oh yeah, I actually had time to write today too!

Perfecting Their Skills

All photos by Brooke Photography

Brothers and sisters, sisters and brothers, part of my challenge as a parent is helping them to understand each other, not an easy task.  Usually things get loud, whether it's voices, doors, or dishes.  My inspiration for this post is continuing on as I type.  Alize is learning to load a dishwasher and Angel is teaching her, that situation in itself could power a small combustion engine.  The clattering of cookware, the sounds of adversity, the sighs of discontent can be deafening, at the same time, they are almost music to my ears, almost.

This arrangement is multi-facetted.  First, I have grown tired of teaching Angel the correct way to load a dishwasher and hand wash dishes.  I know, why would I have someone teach who hasn't seemed to have learned?  Having a feeling my son knew more than he lead us to believe, I made him the educator.  Wouldn't you know it, all of a sudden, he knows everything there is to know about filling the dishwasher.  Alize makes sure to ask plenty of questions when trying something new. Telling his sister how to do the same thing over and over is providing this brother with a life lesson in patience and how to handle frustration.  It's not easy explaining a task to someone, let alone discovering them doing it their own way in spite of the training provided.  Hmmmm, something I experience quite often.  These two are full biological siblings who came to live with us at the same time.  One would think, this commonality would provide a bond that would be unspoken.  Not so, in fact the opposite is quite true.  It is a rare moment when this pair is in the same place, doing the same thing in a harmonious manner.  Which brings me to my final purpose, simply, getting along with one another.  Forcing this brother and sister to work together will, hopefully, encourage some type of mutual understanding and hopefully, trust.

As the din dies down between the middles, my biggles start in.  Emily has a math project she is working on and is, rightfully so, very proud of her endeavor.  Eric, a calculus student who loves the numbers, was adamant in his ideas, much to Emily's dismay. My persistent son's voice grew louder while Emily emphatically declined his assistance.  Fortunately, these two figured each other out years ago.  There's has been a partnership that, until recently, ran very smoothly.  You see, Eric likes to win and Emily is not comfortable with confrontation.  Eric likes the spot light and Emily prefers supporting roles.  Over a decade of their lives was spent with Emily seceding to her big brother in just about everything.  We had very few arguments because, there was no need.  The challenge now exists due to Emily's burgeoning independence.  Eric is beginning to acknowledge his younger sibling's right to be right, although it hasn't been very easy for him.

"The Littles," Joe and Jillie are in a similar situation.  Jillie adores her bigger little, as he does her. Looking across the couch at the two of them,  watching "Go Dog Go" be recited for the millionth time in our home, her head resting on his chest as he peruses the pages, is enough to make this mom well up with pride.  There are many times, though, that this eager first grader wants to lend his sister a helping hand when she swats it away and snaps back at him with a "NO".  Her autonomy gets in the way of his authority quite often.  Nevertheless, Joe sure does love being a big brother to his sweet sister.  Personally, I think he has been her favorite from day one.  After all, his was the first name she could say.  He is the one that will be at home with her the longest.  It's not coincidental that it is "a hug from Joe" that Jillie's teachers give as an incentive to help her make good choices through out her day.  Stickers, candy, stamps don't stand up to the allure of a quick cuddle from her brother.

We LOVE Brooke Photography

I love that my boys all have a younger sister to learn how to protect and take care of all while figuring out just how strong and independent they really can be.  I love that my girls all have a big brother to look up to and help mold them into the men God wants them to be.  At the same time the young ladies in my house get to allow my young men to practice emotions they will need some day as they all find wives.

My kids are perfecting their skills socially, the girls are learning how to deal with boys as the boys learn how to handle the girls.  Eventually, they will all use what they have been taught away from home, in college, their careers, their marriages, and their families.  My hope is that they will have prepared each other well.

What a day and it's only 9:30AM!

Gotta Love Brooke Photography!

It all began with waking up, as every morning does, this morning was no different.  The everyday thoughts were already brewing as I set my foot on the floor and lifted my hiney out of bed.  What to wear and hairstyle choice were already decided upon as I would be joining Eric's girlfriend for a "hike" after the kids were all dropped off.  I say "hike" because she was needing to tone it down for this late 40 something mom of six (I use the kids for an excuse a lot, it's hard to argue with.)  So, yoga pants, tank top and a baggy T, because no one wants to see this body in just yoga pants and a tank top.  Hair up into a pony tail, thankfully because it's time to touch up the silver strands again.  With my designated walking tennis shoes and socks in hand, I left my sanctuary.

Next stop was my Keurig and the K-cup drawer.  I dug around and found the coffee I like, (why I keep the rest of them is beyond me) pulled out my Tigger mug and internally mourned the fact that the handle has a hairline fracture that was more than likely caused by a disgruntled child with dishwasher duty.  Thinking I would finish off the creamer I chose, I began to pour.  I then realized the bottle would need to be returned to the fridge because draining it would wreak havoc on my much anticipated mug of satisfaction.

Now to the couch and my tablet and Bible app, ready to read a portion of today's One Year Through the Bible plan ( I think I started it in January 2012)  Anyways, I believe we finished up Job today.  Yay, I got tired of his know-it-all friends and what about that wife of his????  God is good!

All throughout my morning routine, my mind is circling around the tasks of the day. What would dinner consist of?  We have Jillie's IEP at school at 3:15 this afternoon.  I need to get Mrs. ....., the babysitter directions to the house when we drop the younger four with her at the other campus because we won't have time to meet her at home.  Pizza it is then, I won't have time to make anything decent before those who can, head off to church.  Oh yeah, I have to meet the Hubster at the high school at twoish to drop my van off so Eric and Emily have a way home after rowing practice. That reminds me, tomorrow is "Talk Like a Pirate Day", I need to make that pasta dish I promised for the crew's fundraiser at lunch time.  Thank the Lord for crock pots!  Today is church!  That means it's Wednesday and the middles have school picture day, thankfully with our favorite photographer, Brooke!  Good thing the littles have until Friday.  I have no idea what I want them to wear.  Oh well, the checking account is depleted until tomorrow.  We may not be able to buy the pics this year anyways.

The Hubster is finished making his lunch and heads down the hall to wake the troops.  I hear each door opened as well as his "Good morning (insert name here)!  It's time to get up."  I keep an eye on the baby monitor to make sure Jillie actually gets out of bed.  She does, whew, maybe we have a cheerful girl?  OK, maybe not.  We all piled on the BIG couch ready for prayer, announcements, to give and receive our morning hugs (most of us, Jillie is still moody) and it's off to get ready for our days.  Wait, Angel, wear something nice, it's picture day!  Allie you need to hurry because the dishwasher needs unloading! Joe, you get dressed quickly, no hanging out on your floor nakey.  OK, Jillie, time to go potty.  Yep, still cranky.

Thankfully, Emily loves getting Allie ready on days like this, one less thing on my plate.  Eric is wandering the house looking for something?  Keys, you can't find your keys to the car.  Great, he may need me to drop mine off.  One more thing to remember. Hug and kiss the Hubster good bye.  Band aids for Allie's shoes, sure, go get some.  Angel, help Allie with the dishes, she may take a while this morning.  Did everyone take care of the dog?  Ask Eric and Emily where your shorts are.  They are the ones responsible to wash, dry, fold and get clothes back to their prospective owners.

OK, my breakfast, into the blender goes a banana, spinach, strawberries, sweetener and a couple drops of wild orange essential oil, now wait for the berries to thaw a bit.  Sit to check emails.  Joe has figured out how to tie shoes this morning and offers to help me with mine.  Yay?!  OK, I let him.  He needs to feel big at times.  Did you remember the trash Angel?  Allie are you almost ready?  Ok, thanks for braiding her hair Emily.  My living room is looking like an laundry mat again.  Humph!!!  Because you all like apples, that's why I have a big 'ol box of them, and I hope to make applesauce soon.  Where is my coffee?  Time to add soy milk and make a smoothie.  Yum, so refreshing and vibrant during the morning drive.  Ten minutes until backpacks and van!!! Travel mug in the Keurig, open up the new creamer, I will finish the other later.

 Found your keys yet?  Nope, okay?  Who will help get shoes on Jillie?  Thanks Angel.  I know, sister, but I have to brush your hair every morning.  You will be OK.  Turn out the lights and close windows and blinds. BACKPACKS EVERYONE AND INTO THE VAN!!!

Grab my liquid breakfast, smoothie and coffee with a water chaser.  Don't forget the purse, phone, keys, sunglasses and headset (I get too distracted if I have to hold a phone)  Out the door I go.

Backing the van out, so thankful nothing got spilled, this morning.  Man!  188,000 miles, really? Oh well, God has the perfect one lined up.  It's Wednesday, Angel's day to pray. Amen.  Yes we can turn on the radio. Did someone grab Jillie's backpack???  Whew!  Remember, Mrs. .... will be picking you up today.  Quietish for a few miles.  As we pull into the biggles school, "Mom, my stomach hurts."  I think nothing of it, breakfast, thankfully, is provided at school, he must be hungry.  Pull into the high school, oh yeah, you need my keys for the back of the van.  That automatic door stopped working a long time ago, followed by the electric latch.  Everyone say bye to Eric and Emily!  Ok bye.  Off we go to school number two.

"Mom, I feel like I am going to throw up!"  Think quickly.  Hand him a Target bag with tissues to absorb stuff.  Think again, the bag may have holes, oh well.  Pull over, get out of the van, pour out my big smoothie cup with only a few sips missing from it.  Rinse it with the water chaser and hand it back to brother.  Call the Hubster to inform him of this new event and get moral support. No answer, bummer. Jillie, will you share toast with Joe?  Please, it will make his tummy feel better.  Thanks sweet girl for sharing.  How are you feeling mister?  Good.

Ok, Joe pray for Alize, Alize pray for Angel, Angel pray for Jillie, Jillie pray for Joe.  What?  Ok Angel will you pray for Joe?  Thanks. Whew 7:30, we are on time for breakfast!  Off to the third school.  Are you still felling good Joe?  Good.  Make sure you eat a cheese stick tomorrow morning before we leave.  Oh my, I can't go on a hike.  I need to be near my car, just in case.  Out of the van you two.  Darn, I accidentally dialed her, oops.

In the school, OK let's go hug Joe. Oooomph, group hug!!!  Have a good day Joe!  Oh yeah, this is what happened on the car ride in.  Call me if you need me.  I think he is just hungry.

Ok, Jillie's class.  Oh, bagel day.  Here she goes, digging into the cream cheese with her spork.  Some battles I choose not to fight.    What?  Her teacher isn't here today?  A family emergency?  No IEP today?  Ok.  Yes, I can drive this other student home today.  I will call the Hubster and therapists and tell them.    Potty?  Ok, let's go!  Hello, sorry I didn't mean to call you.  I am at the school with Jillie in the bathroom.  I will call you back in a few.  Ok, bye.  Hello, Joe thought he was going to throw up in the car.  I thought I would share it with you.  Ok, thanks, bye.  Wash your hands and out we go.  Back to breakfast, here goes the cream cheese again.  No, she's not playing "See food" she is trying to swallow.

Do you need extra help today?  Ok, if you need me, just call.

Back to the van, man just over a quarter of a tank left.  I hope it lasts.  Hi, I have to cancel our hike today. I have to be able to get back to school quickly.  I want to pay all of my attention to you but can't today.  Can we reschedule?  Let's plan on next Wednesday.  Ok, bye.

Hi Hunny!  No IEP today.  Yep you can stay at work.  Text the biggles and tell them you will pick them up.  The next available date is in October.  Jillie is getting what she needs for now.  We have to do what we have to do. I will text the various therapists to inform of the change. Wow, it's 8:15.

Back to the Angel and Allie's school.  Can you get a message to them that I will be picking them up.  Thanks.  Tell Mrs. ..... too.  Thanks again.

I need to rethink dinner!  Left overs it is!!!

I am hungry, time to go home.  Make breakfast number two.  What a day, and it's only 9:30AM!
I need to write this down.

---- typing ----

11:00 I need to head out to get Jillie. Get in the van, phone rings.
Hello, I have to call the Hubster.  Yes I'll text you back.
Hi Hunny, can you get that time off again?  We have an IEP to go to.

Yes, it has been a day and hasn't stopped since.