Movie Review

Everyone has a secret dream job, mine is not so secret anymore... I would love to be a movie critic. So here goes!!!

TRON

Let me begin by saying that, I never saw the first Tron, so I had none of the background (aside from what Darren has told me). I saw it in IMAX 3D. While I was sucked into the story, and the cute boy, the action didn't disappoint. However the 3D did. There was a disclaimer at the beginning stating some of this film was filmed in 2D however you are to leave your 3D glasses on at all times. Truthfully the only time I saw a difference was when glass shattered and even that was minuscule. Waste of 3D money. The CG, however, was quite impressive. Making Jeff Bridges ageless, he became flawless. As well as most of the movie. The story of Tron was briefed enough for a naive audience. I got excited in the anticipation of what would happen next. Would they make a twist or keep things on track? The acting was wonderful and so believable. I reallly felt as if I was in "the grid". Congrats to Disney for pulling off a sequel soooo far away from the original and giving the new generation a Tron to remember. Two thumbs up, a must see.

Merry Christmas

We finally got some good pics done of all 3 kids and our Christmas cards are on the way!!! Hooray for me, I never get things done, like this, on time. Big thanks to my friend Ashley, you did an awesome job. Now I know everyone is jealous of these blue eyes, but just know that the kids with them are every bit as awesome... oh wait, I guess that doesn't curb any jealousy... oh well then. :) We have had a pretty good year, with lots of ups and very few downs. I promise next year there will be many more posts and many more pics of these beautiful kids. Merry Christmas to all and hope next year will be just as bright!!!

Proud of myself

I made Lily a skirt for church for Halloween and so I had to make Mike a tie. They turned out so cute. Then Sunday morning Lily woke with a runny nose and a cough. Suck.

Disneyland fan!

We here at the Chambers love Disney. Not just the land, but everything else too. We went to Disneyland on Saturday and played hooky from school. It was so much fun. I am sad and excited to say though, the Disneyland control freak that I am, I had to take a back seat and let the kids run the show. They have been there enough now that they know where things are and what the do and do not want to ride on. I did throw a switch in the beginning and we went backwards through the park. For those of you who don't know, we always start at Buzz and work our way to pirates. We also always eat by the Jedi Training Academy. This time however we did Winnie the Pooh first and worked our way back. Craziness I know, but what can I say, go where the wind takes you I guess. Darren wasn't sure I was feeling all that well. The kids had a blast though and Mike got to ride Splash Mountain for the first time. 40" TALL!!! Big boy. At the end of the day though, Mike was exhausted and Lily kept saying , "I sought we were going to go on more rides, MOM!" We were even going to go to a game night, but when we got home at 8:30 (WOW!) we all crashed. (I'm getting old)


On the Disney note, the kids were Minnie and Mickey for Halloween. Too cute!

Name Change!

I never thought I would be so ok with this. Some people know I am not the biggest fan of nick names, but we have a Mike! Michael's teacher said it would be easier for him to spell his name if it is shorter. The c, a, and e are all very similar and he can't differentiate between them. I would also show progress in meeting his IEP goals (school stuff). So he is Mike now. Lily thought that means we all get a nick name and she is Minnie now (so she thinks) I tried explaining the reason for the name and she didn't care, she still wants to be Minnie. Every day she asks "is Michael, Mike?" Like today we may change it again. She calls him Mike most of the time now though. It feels like an entirely different name. I can't grasp it yet and it will take a while.

Thanks for this video... ;)

Lily and I watched this while Mike was at school. I cried and she asked to see it again and again. She said that boy is nice to his sister.

Just to get it out...

When Michael was born we knew there would be ups and downs. I was fine with the therapy and early intervention. The slow to start things were actually good for new parents (learning how to do things later than the norm). Each step has been one to celebrate and we have enjoined every minute. I knew the day would come that I couldn't protect him... I just didn't think it would be so soon... today Michael's teacher told be he is being picked on by a couple of kids at recess. He has been acting out a lot at home and complaining that he didn't want to go to school in the morning, but everyday I have made him go and he seemed to be happy when I picked him up. His friends would say good bye and the aids would tell me he had a good day, but that he was pushing on the playground. I joked that the smallest kid on the playground was the bully and to iniciate play he would push because he likes to wrestle. 3 weeks later I have now learned that my sweet boy was just trying to stand up and defend himself. i don't know what to do. His teacher siad they didn't know that this was really what was happening, they would see him push and the kids tattle, but never saw the cause. The kids have been identified and she promised she would take care of it. It took everything in me not to break down right there with him in my arms. He has wanted me to hold him after school, and I have been, he has been asking for more of my attention than normal and I have tried to give it too him... I didn't understand it all until today, and for that I am sorry... I didn't protect him. While sitting in a meeting 3 and a half ears ago with a group of moms complaining about their kids special needs, one mom turned to me and said "your lucky, you have a diagnosis and can talk to other parents about your kid." I looked her dead in the eye and lashed out every fear I felt today, "Your right, I'm lucky because from the moment my child was born I knew his life would be rough and he would have no clue why. Some day this will all be a memory for yours, but for mine he will have to fight to fit in, beg to be accepted and lost in a crowd that doesn't understand him. He will be teased and ridiculed for being who he is. For you this ends at 3, but this is life for me... I'm lucky." Michael is a blessing to me. I love all of my kids, but you have to know that with Michael it is different. He gives me strength, patience and love. I know this is just the beginning, and like everything else we have been through there will be an end. He is strong and forgives easily. (I don't always like the forgiving side of him.) I'm not looking for sympathy, just to get it out. It helped, I cried, and now my head hurts and I am going to go to bed.

New toys are SO CUTE!

All new toys are fun because they are new. But we just got a jumper for Liam and Lily came home from school to say, "Oh my gosh, that is SO CUTE mom!" Michael said, "whoa, what... is... that?" These 2 have been a crack up in the the speech department since Liam was born and even more in the mimicking. So, I will start from the beginning.
The week I brought Liam home was nice, but overwhelming to say the least. I suffered from way more emotional roller coasters then I did with the other 2. Darren went to take a nap, which before you get the wrong idea, I said he should do since he was the one dealing with the older 2 during the night and early mornings that they had decided where play time instead of sleeping. Michael said "I pooped." I told him to get a diaper and the next thing I knew Lily was screaming that there is poop on her potty. I walked into the bathroom to find Michael sitting on Lily's potty with poop smeared down his legs, across her potty, and the big squishy log smushed on the floor. I started to cry. I Lily later told Michael while they were playing, "don't poop on the floor anymore, it makes mommy cry"
Breastfeeding with them is even better. "Mommy you should make water this time" (instead of producing milk, I am now supposed to be a vending machine) A couple of days after Darren went back to work the kids were quiet and I noticed them hiding, both with shirts up and babies to their skin. "Mom, I have to feed my baby, he's hungry" A few minutes after that I had them sit at the table for lunch and was told, "wait, I have to pump first". By the way, Michael thinks his belly button is a nipple and has tried to pump it and told me he would feed Liam "All my self!" and Lily told me "Your boobies are big, mine are little. I just can't feed Liam for you" My mom in law watched Lily and Liam while I went to a field trip with Michael. Liam was crying when she tried to give him a bottle and asked Lily if Liam cries when daddy feeds him, "Daddy doesn't feed Liam..." (she said it like, duh grandma)
They both have been helpful in many ways. We race for diapers and wipes and Lily is always letting Liam know what is cute to wear. She calls him "our families baby". And the second he starts crying Michael has the ETA on the binky. He thinks he is such a big boy. This was our conversation one day
Michael "I hold Liam"
Sierra "ok sit down"
M "on the couch, which one?"
S "you pick" he did and I gave Liam to him and sat facing him on the floor.
M "oh, hi, oh hi, he smile, oh hi, mommy sit!"
S "it's ok I will sit here"
M "no I do it all my self" Liam started to cry
M "mommy binky quick, ready go!"
Knock at the door
M "what that noise like? Get it mommy"
S "Here let me take Liam"
M" no no no, you go, I hold Liam all my self, you be right back. Oh hi oh hi Liam"
I didn't let him keep him, but I thought it was a great attempt. And he pronounces Liams name "hee-num". It is quite cute.

Lily started preschool and the day she was going to go, as we got ready in the morning, she was about to pop. Litterally, if she could have she would have. She has a grin from ear to ear and if you know what I am talking about, that feeling that you could burst at any moment because you are so excited. She could barely contain herself. As we were getting ready to walk out the door Liam was smiling at her and she said, "Mom, Liam is so excited for me to go to preschool, he is smiling at me."

Getting crafty

So I don't have a lot to do during the day (ha) so I look for ways to occupy the time. I do a lot of bows and flowers for hair, but you can only have so many and there isn't that much of a demand if I don't do boutiques more often. So I have been sewing. I have done a couple of things, but thought this was just sew cute, I have to share it. (haha, see what I did in that sentence?)

New Pics!

So it has been a while. I don't know what has kept me away for so long?! Oh wait, I do know. Here are the pictures!

Our New Addition!

Welcome to the world Liam!
Born: July 5, 2010
Weight: 8 lbs
Length: 20 1/4 in

All's quite on the western front!

Well that's at least how it used to be. For those of you who don't know, Michael was having troubles hearing for a while. He failed his hearing test really bad. We knew his tubes had fallen out but didn't know how clogged he was until we went to the doctors. 4 appointments later and one 15 minute surgery and all is well again. In fact, he listens and follows directions, his speech is clearer (and more frequent) and his response to questions is immediate. This was not the case before, in fact, he spent many days on frequent timeouts for not listening and acting out because of his lack of understanding. By the end, the thing he quoted most often was "Understand me?!" and "Focus..." Now that he is the perfect child again, of course my troubles wouldn't be over... Lily is 2 and making me very aware of this! If I am bald after delivery of baby #3, it won't be because of "postpartum alopecia".

Handcrafted Accessories

I put a link on the side bar, up at the top! This is the site where I will be displaying new items. Ordering instructions are available there too.

Spring Boutique

Saturday, March 27th

1:00pm to 6:00pm

818 Appleton Rd.

Simi Valley

Dont miss out on great deals! Raffles every 30 minutes!!

For more information or to get directions, please contact Megan Huntley (805) 280-6343

featured participants:

Cookie Lee

Pampered Chef

Handcrafted Accessories

Party Lite

Arbone

Mary Kay

Come see what's new and get deals on what's not!

7-ELEVEN

Next week there is a Grand Opening Celebration close to my heart.

7-ELEVEN click here

I have always lived by a 7-eleven. Growing up, my dad would take my sibilings and I to get a slurpee about once a week, maybe more, maybe less. I have continued to get slurpees on a regular basis. My children know the store and flavors well. I even had cravings, while pregnant with Michael for my beloved frosty beverage. And so it is with great enthusiasm that I share 25 cent slurpee day at the Madera store.

About that time!

We went to the doctors on Friday for our ultrasound. This was the most in depth, ultra detailed ultrasound we have ever had. It was such a great learning experience. After 45 minutes and an earlier sneak peek, we finally found out that we are having a BOY! The umbillical cord was all balled up when the doctor was actually trying to show us, but he knew from the earlier opened legged shot exactly what it was. Darren actually caught it before they were ready to go there when they were just trying to get the legs. Stupid me, I had to ask a question, so I was distracted and didn't see the full shot.

I..just..can't..make..it..

Apparently it is too far to get to Michael's room from the couch. I went into his room, to put the comforter and pillow back on his bed, waiting for him to follow. He said he was tired and wanted to go to bed, so this wasn't a defiance thing. This is the living room about 15 feet from his bedroom door.


He doesn't take naps anymore. Bed time comes a little faster than it used to and has always been an easy task. Once his head hits the pillow, I think I have about 45 seconds to say good night and I love you in hopes of getting a response before he is snoring. That's right he snores. He always has. Most moms wake in the middle of the night just to check if their infant is still breathing. For me it was when the snoring stopped that I would get panicked. I didn't learn the basic anatomy of a downs kid till we visited the ENT for the first time. Michael's face is set back about a half and inch compared to a typical kid. How much of a difference would this really make some people wonder. Well, best example would be, a normal straw versus a cocktail straw. Pour a table spoon of veggie oil through a cocktail straw and see how much longer it takes to get the whole thing through compared to a regular straw. Now imagine trying to suck air through that and how much harder it would be. Same goes for his ears and throat. That's why he is sick for longer and snores.

Getting crafty

While Michael is at school, Lily and I try to come up with fun things to do. This time was face painting. It didn't suprise me that she would like something like this because she likes make up, paint and colors, so why not put it on your face. We did a butterfly and a ladybug. When we picked Michael up from school, everyone thought we had been somewhere and nope, moms just a little nutty. When Michael came out of class he was fixated on Lily's face. "whats that?" he repeated the whole way home. When we got home Lily offered Michael some face paint. This is funny to me that he was so excepting because he doesn't like anything out of the ordinary to touch his head. He kept telling me "no ears, all done" (We have been talking about going to the ENT and he is not excited) So I opted for the easiest and fastest way to paint his face. I got one good green dot with a round sponge brush and when I went back for the touch up with a regular brush, the look he gave me was like "hey, what the heck do you think you are doing!" I had to switch back and then go to the otherside. After almost a half hour, we had finally finished Mike Wazouski from Monsters Inc., and Nemo from Finding Nemo. After that he was a happy camper and showed everyone we saw for the rest of the day and was sad when they had to get washed off. (Smarty me, lotion before I put on the paint would have been a good idea. Michael's one cheek was stained green for 2 days and Lily's purple.)
Now would this be the end of our face painting... Nope. A week later, Lily told me as I put her to bed pinching her cheeks together, "Tomorrow you paint my face,... Hearts" again while Michael was at school we did this again. This time Michael was too terrified to let me near his face, but was pleased to show off his sisters.

Pinkalicious!

Lily likes pink! Shocker right? She's a girl and I mean that in every sense of the word. We got some new church dresses that she picked out. Each dress had pink of course. Now for the shoes. We had to get something to match, although she has black they don't go with much of her wardrobe. I went with the idea that white goes with everything, Lily had a better idea. She said "akly (her word for actually) mom, I like pink." This I have figured out... and she was right. She had picked out the perfect color to match each dress. Pink was the winner. So we went to take some pics at the studio in her new dresses and pink shoes. She was ecstatic to wear them but refused to have her picture taken, so sadly, none of this beautiful occasion. However, the pink shoes go with everything according to Lily so... she wears them with everything.

Haircut!

Ahh.... I feel human again. It's amazing what just a trim and a little shaping can do to your hair and your head. I feel so refreshed and presentable. Some may wonder who a stylist goes to for their hair. Most who work in a salon go to someone in that salon. I however don't work in a salon, so I go to my friend Jena at Play Hair Lounge. I don't do her justice when I style it myself afterward, but she makes me feel pretty again. My brother even noticed! Lily asked if I got my hair cut and if I cried like Michael. No, I reassured her that even mommy likes getting a haircut like Lily.

New things

Things are always changing here, even if I say "nothin' new". Lily is ever so talkative, sometimes making me wonder why I ever wanted a baby genius or to hear my name spoken by such a tiny voice. It is a beautiful thing though to carry on a conversation with a 2 year old, ever wonder what they are thinking, she will gladly tell you! So when I dislocated her elbow last Wednesday and she screamed at me that she needs to go to the doctor because "lily broken" I took her and he taught me how to pop it back into place because this has happened a couple of times (she has a loose joint, common in young kids). She is also a good mom to Michael, telling him what to do and helping him do everything. "One... Michael say One! Good job buddy" They made me laugh when she got to 3 and said 6 instead and he told her "no 3" and she responded with "UGH Michael!

I was so excited when we went to the park the other day, he walked up to a little girl and introduced himself and asked if she wanted to play with him. To some this may seem to simple and not really note worthy, but in our Michael world, this is a huge accomplishment for him. Since he turned 5 at the start of the year, Michael seems like a totally different kid, between his interaction with others, his speech booming, and his rocketing height (almost 40" thank you very much), I feel like he's such a big boy! He told me tonight that he wants his favorite "frieschicken", (that's right one word) but not just that, he wanted me to go to the store and get it. That means he wants McDonalds or Carls, not our microwave goodness.

They also make me aware, often, that I have a baby in my tummy. Michael pats me and says "hi baby" and likes to listen to the heart that he can't really hear. Lily, I told her i have a funny in my tummy and she was quick to remind me "no a baby, Mom"

Boutique!

When I get an idea in my head, I become a little obsessive about it. I went to a bow party and said "hey, I can do this!" So I did. Now that my house is completely taken over my bows, flowers and ribbon, I have decided to have a boutique. Saturday, Jan 16th from 7 to 3 at 1304 Whitcomb Ave. 93063. I am doing it with my yard sale to take the pressure off of perspective buyers. Feel free to come one and all. I would love to share my obsession.