Spike...

Ok, so it turns out that Spike was a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. yay.... Not much else to say, my allergies are beating the crap out of me today, but I will leave you with this:

G's 1st class trip, etc

Ok, so today was Giovanni's first ever class trip without Mommy or Grammy attending. Let's discuss nervous. But, I checked out everything to make sure I was comfortable with it before agreeing to let him go, so I was just Mommy nervous, not so much like, Oh my god I hope my kid makes it home in 1 piece nervous. Anyway, they went to Insectropolis. It is exactly what it sounds like. His teacher is usually really good about taking pictures of the things the kids do, and then sending home copies, so hopefully, I will either get pics later this week or next, or I will get a little album with pics of all the summer stuff at the end of summer school in 3 weeks. Either way, as soon as I have pics, I will post them. So, he went and absolutely LOVED it. He was able to tell me about all the bugs he saw, and the bees, and how he saw bees in a bee hive that looked like a vase, and he got to see inside an ant hill. He told me how ants have their heart in their butt, and then, to my shock and horror, he got to PET the bugs. He got to pet a scorpion (aaah!), a SPIDER named Fuzzy (he thought it was just hysterical that I was so freaked out by this), and something named Spike. I can't understand exactly what it was, and he doesn't seem to know - he said at first that it was a fly, but I can't see how that could be possible, so I kept asking and Spike has been a fly, beetle, mosquito, and pretty much every other flying bug, so I'll have to send a note into the teacher. She said he did really fantastic on the trip, and had a blast, which was clear when he got home.

Oh, I forgot to tell you how the morning started off! So, Mom was helping him to brush his teeth, and I ran in to use my bathroom before taking him down to the bus. All of a sudden I hear a bit of commotion, something gets said about spitting, and then they are discussing his mouth bleeding, and holding a towel there to get it to stop. So I about kill myself getting off the toilet and bolting for the other bathroom, only to get there and find my son, happy as anything, huge grin, now minus one bottom tooth. LOL - so this is his 3rd lost tooth, and I'm almost ready to head in there now and slip a dollar under the pillow...

These pics are not from his trip, but I found some pics of Insectropolis just to show you what it is. Enjoy the buggy goodness!

Live display

Autism: Healthcare Reform Update

HEALTH CARE REFORM UPDATE: Things are moving VERY quickly in the House now with health care reform and we need you to be ready to act at a moment's notice and give it everything you've got!

Last night, The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an autism amendment offered by Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), Chairman of the Congressional Autism Caucus and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 - the House health care reform bill that is currently undergoing markup in the Energy and Commerce Committee. His amendment would set up national training initiatives on autism.

We anticipate that Congressman Doyle will introduce a very important amendment to the bill tomorrow that will seek to end autism insurance discrimination once and for all. When that happens, we will need you to be ready to call following our direction as fast and furiously as possible. We will need to make a loud statement that want this amendment to be attached to the bill.

Our children deserve appropriate healthcare that provides them with access to the medical treatments and therapies that can help them live more productive and fulfilling lives. Keep every one of them in mind as we make our way through this next stage in the process. They are counting on you!

Stay Tuned!

Elizabeth Emken
Vice President, Govenment Relations
Autism Speaks

E.L.F. cosmetics offer...

Ok, E.L.F. makeup can be hit or miss, but I saw some reviews on this, and it appears to be a hit. You can use all the colors swirled together as a multi-dimensional bronzer, or use them separately to create highlight, definition, blush, and bronzer. Here is the ad I received - enjoy!

First Post!!

Hi Everyone!!

Ok, so I guess I have a blog now. I still have been fighting the Facebook thing, although I have to admit that I saw all the people in my family alone that are on there when my mom signed up and I was quite shocked, and softened just a little toward the possibility of signing up. But only a little!

Well, since the first people I'm going to send invites to are friends and family, I guess the rest of this post will just be updates and pics. Giovanni is doing fantastic! He is in summer school right now which he loves, and when he officially goes back in September, he will be in the 1st grade. His progress is amazing! He has been reading on a first grade level for a while now. He loves to read almost as much as I do, and it is really good because reading definitely helps him to understand things better. Here are some pics of him from his first 2 week vacation of the summer - we took him to mini golf, and to the aquarium, bowling, the zoo... all kinds of fun stuff.

I've been up to the same old same old... looking for a job again - ugh. But I'm enjoying having some time to relax, and enjoy the summer with G! Talk to you all soon!