IEP Day ... Dun Dun Duuuun

Today was the dreaded IEP meeting for Mak. For those who don't know that means individual education plan oooor make you feel like you're an inch tall meeting. The teachers are ALWAYS very nice.  She wouldn't be receiving services from anyone not understanding and patient and nice! BUT I don't care how nice you are, when charts, graphs and numbers come out that say your child is not mainstream and needs all this extra help you feel small. You didn't produce a stand alone child. You don't have a child that is capable of mainsteam education.  That's a blow, it's a punch to the gut. No amount of Starbucks, wine, chili cheese fries covers the blow. No amount of "she's a sweet child" makes it better. Every IEP is a reminder. Now ... NOT every child with an IEP is severe. You need an IEP for speech or OT anything extra so many kids have them. Even if it is for a small moment in time for your kid to have an IEP it's still a reminder that your kid needs extra help. To me that suuuuucks! I'm glad she can get these services, but it's still not a meeting I'm counting down the days too. For the record I'm not claiming this is how all parents feel ... This is how I feel. I don't don't even bother putting makeup on OR a decent outfit on for these things.  I like hearing how nice she is, but the nuts and bults of it is she's intellectually disabled and that still hurts my heart no matter how you slice it.
Ok so todays IEP was on the better side of the spectrum.  Mak is doing really good in her new program.  She's even used as a manners example in a 5th grade class! Yes!! I said manners and Yes!! I said 5th grade.  She also is a mediator.  The 5th grade teacher and speech teacher said she has settled many arguments between fellow students! Bottom line that's why we have kids ... To be good human beings.  At 10 she's a better human being than most adults I have come across. She also took charge of a science experiment (in the mainstream 5th grade) and successfully completed it. Amazing! She was in a group and the group as a whole couldn't figure it out until Mak says "this is what we need to do" That's my girl! They always start with the good stuff then they say "The Goals". The same stuff ... subtraction, vocab, articulation and so on. Still not on track for high school diploma and that's Ok because at the end of it all I'd take Mak not being college bound and being a generous/shining light over college educated and ugly hearted any day of the week.
In short IEPs suck! They take up your day, they're a reminder your kid isn't mainstream, BUT I wouldn't trade her or my clan of kidlets for any other. I know many parents are really focused on school (as you should) and reaching that excellence mark. Take a step back, marvel at what your kid CAN do! It's amazing! Many may never reach that mark so if anyone reads this (besides my mom. Hi Mom) then I hope that's what you take away from my day today.  They said she probably won't read ... She read me 2 books this week. They said she might not be able to tie her shoes ... masters it. So hug 'em. Love 'em and be thankful they're here.

I'm Baaaaack

So I decided to go back to blogging.  I have a lot of things planned and let's be honest ... If I don't write it down then I probably won't go through with it.
So an update ... We have moved back to Alaska! The same place we were 3 years ago. So I've decided to bust out the sewing machine and see what type of things I can whip up. There's an awesome fashion blogger, Mimi G, that revamps those not so cute, but could be cute, but you have no idea how to make it cute patterns. I got some today at Joanns so be on the look out for my pieces.
My kids are still insane it's mermaid craft day! Clothes pins, foam sheets and glitter! BAM!
I will be blogging often about my oldest. She was diagnosed as intellectually disabled this past August. She and I think it's extremely important and part of her purpose to bring awareness and change the minds of those who thing mental retardation means less than. When for my Makiyla it means fabulous!

Ok we did the mermaids and they are CUTE! But the girls don't really know what to with them now that they are all done decorating ... my son took some and ran around like they were airplanes though.  Good craft to use up things I already had ... foam sheets, sequins, glitter and paint. I just bought the clothes pens. Soooo if we get another long weekend because of the weather we might make them again ... or maybe try airplanes ;)

Glitter Wall

I saw on Pinterest that you could do a glitter accent wall with glue & glitter. I wasn't sure about the glue. I have put glue on walls PLENTY O TIMES & it peals off easily. So I looked for a clear paint. It does exists, but I only found 5 gallon tubs & it was mainly for sealing in projects. I kept looking because I wasn't too sure about it. Then I found a Faux Glaze by Behr. It was $27 for a gallon (a little pricey) they also sell a pint for &14. You're supposed to mix it with a color for sponging & such on walls. It looks white, but dries clear. It's to lighten a color or make it milky. Sooo I just added glitter! I made the mistake of buying the chunky glitter. What you need is the dusty glitter. I used silver & the cream color I already had of the dust type glitter. A pint would've covered the wall & then some, but I'm going to use the full gallon for other walls in the house (without glitter lol).

Milk in the trash

I am a PROUD Starbucks gold card member.  I recharge that thing every pay day and then on outings we go by there.  The Madd Hatter either likes a Double Chocolaty ship OR a Hot Chocolaty Chip (hot chocolate) Bubba gets a chocolate milk in the carton. Today I asked MH what she wanted "I want the milk in the trash!" I had NO IDEA what this was so instead of the drive thru we went in.  She grabs the carton milk ... Technically she is correct, the carton ends up in the trash so logically it is milk in trash, right?  So I pay and Bubba is having a holy FIT! There was a guy there joking saying "Give that kid some milk! He needs his milk!" LOL It was insanity, but funny.  I told the guy he was a milkaholic and he is getting treatment. LOL
The drive home was interesting.  MH asked if cows jump over the moon. I told her only in fairytales and if we waited for a cow that we see daily to jump over the moon we'd be waiting a really long time.  THEN I got a milk from a cow lesson from my 3 year old.  According to her people in a factory make the milk and they take it to the cows and put it in their bellies.  THEN a farmer comes and squeezes their bellies and the milk comes out.  While all this is going on the cow is saying "Moooooo". That is how we get the milk we buy at the store.  I'm not sure why we just don't cut out the middle man.  Seems like an awful lot of work for some milk.  She also schooled me on aliens.  I told her they like to make pictures in corn fields.  Apparently aliens HATE corn! They only drink milk from cows. 
I DO have a craft, but it is going to take me several days. I KNOW you all are soooo disappointed LOL BUT I wanted to tell you all about where milk comes from.  I thought you all needed the knowledge.  

Creamy Tomato Soup

This is a really good soup! I made it too thick and I know where I went wrong.  

What you need 2 cans of tomatoes (I used petite diced tomatoes)

                         4 cups chicken broth

                         1 cup carrots

                         1 cup celery

                         1 cup onions

                         basil (I put in about 1/4 cup fresh basil)

                         oregano (I did 3-4 shakes)

                         bay leaf

                         1/2 cup butter (I think this is too much)

                         1/2 flour (I think this is too much)

                          1 cup parm cheese

                         2 cups half and half

                         salt and pepper to taste

What you need to do is put the first 8 items in either a crock pot for 6 hours on low OR in a pot and simmer until veggies are tender.  Once it's all tender, melt the butter in another pot and add the flour.  Like you're going to make a gravy.  The reason why I say this is too much is because you will add about 1 cup of your HOT soup to this and it will INSTANTLY become thick.  My advice would be less butter/flour mixture OR don't put in that initial 1 cup to the mixture and just dump the entire soup in there and simmer to get it a little thick.  Then you add the half and half and the parm cheese. I do not buy butter with salt anymore and I bought fat free half and half ... I can't even tell! SO Bubba didn't like it AT ALL and Big Mak just got seconds.  It's a really good soup I just wish I didn't put that initial cup of hot soup into the butter/flour mixture.  That's why mine is so thick!

Where I got the recipe -

http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-or-on-the-stove-top/                      

I did the crock pot version

The flour/butter mixture

Everything poured in lastly the parm

The "Cooker" serious

The "Cooker" smiling

A "fancier" pillow case dress

Ok Soooo I got the idea to make a pillow sack SHIRT for myself from a redeployment photo a friend posted of FB.  Her daughter had a pillow case (or are the potato sack dresses well whatever) dress on as a top.  I thought HOW CUTE! It's flowy, you can wear leggings under it.  ANYWAY,  I made myself the top all I needed to do was hem it and guess who comes home from school ... twirling it, commenting on how she LOVES purple and how my top is purple and how she LOVES purple dresses.  Like every mom on a guilt trip put on by their daughter would do.  I slimmed the top down and now it's her dress.  
I used that jersey fabric I bought several days ago at 54 inches.  I folded the 54 inches in half and then estimated how wide I am (or how wide the person you are making it for.  I then cut the arm section.  Just a little triangle on each side.  Sew the the 2 sides together.  NOT the arm section.  After that hem the shoulder section so the rough edge isn't showing.  I then hemmed the neck section.  I did a huge section about 2 - 2 1/2 inches because you're going to put a ribbon though it.  I made the ribbon like I made the ribbon to the dress yesterday. And that is it! What makes this dress "fancier" then the other pillow cases dresses is this one has a cute bow and it's tad bit more form fitting. =)

What I have to put up with when I sew at a time OTHER then nap or bed time

Again with the little man standing on my project

The dress cut and the sides sewn

The arm section hemmed

The neck line hemmed

And the dress on

The bow =)

Sundress Anyone?

Ok I bought a tube top sun dress a couple summers ago for $25 I think it was and it was on sale.  This one I bought a little over 1 1/2 yards I bought the rest of the bulk so I'm not sure of the exact amount.  I am going to say buy 2 yards.  This print was $4 a yard. So you need 2 yards of fabric and some elastic.  I had 1/2 inch elastic ($1.88 for 3 yards at Walmart).  So under $10 for this dress.  

AGAIN I have no pattern.  Your body is the patter I guess.  I measured my hips.  That is the widest part of your body in this dress.  Cut the fabric that wide.  I then slipped on the tube of fabric (inside out) and marked where it needed to go in and where my hips were going to be.  Then I sewed the fabric again so that it was hour glass-ish shape.  SINCE my fabric was white I put in a panel on the front for more boobage coverage.  I then measured a strip of elastic to go under the boobs (under the arm to under the arm.  Then I sewed where it would fit under the boobs.  Make sure you are pinning the elastic so it will be in the correct place and when you sew make sure to use zigzag stitch and PULL the elastic as you sew.  Then you measure elastic for the top part.  hem the top and stick the elastic in.  Then hem the bottom.  BOOM $25 dollar dress for $10. =) 

The fabric and the model

Hem at the top for the top elastic

The panel sewn in and slowing cutting the hour glass shape

The bottom and top elastic 

How much I leave when sewing

OH YEA! I made a bow.  I cut 2 2 1/2 in strips the longest I could get.  Sewed 3 sides together.  Turned it right side out and then ironed.  Then sewed the last side.  I also put a small stitch in the dress and ribbon because I ALWAYS lose those things in the wash.

End product (before I hemmed the bottom LOL)