Our Christmas

It has been a few days since I last wrote, and we have been busy doing other things that needs to be done. We had a quiet Christmas at home this year, however it did rain Christmas Eve. The boys are enjoying their new toys, especially the Transformers they got. Devin had it tough just before Christmas. He just could not wait until it was time to open presents. One afternoon, I found him sleeping under the Christmas tree next to the presents. He cried and fussed some days, and others it did not seem to bother him to much. Eddie only tried to take them once, after that he left them alone. For Christmas they got Lego building sets from Grandma, and we still have to put Eddie's giant aircraft carrier together. Devin's car play set (Streetz from Matchbox) was easier to do. Devin likes the light up truck and two mini cars that came with it. A piece of the crane had a bad molding defect, but I think it is fixable with super glue. They are both having lots of fun with their new toys.

Just before Christmas, I had taken Eddie off of his Adderall, due to some concerns we had. We had talked it over with him, and he agreed that he no longer wanted to be on it. Have I noticed a difference? I would say yes. He seems to be easier to handle and he seems to be focusing a lot better. I wonder how he will do when he goes back to school. He still has a "goofy" personality due to autism, but I think that his ADHD may be getting better. He still moves around a lot. He is very expressive with his language and his whole self will be affected. I guess we will wait longer to see how he really does; especially when school starts back.

Thanks for coming to visit me today! See you all soon!

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Olive Oil Bread

Having an allergy to soybean oil has made me to learn how to make my own bread. Most loafs you find in the grocery store has soybean oil in it. I thought that I would see if I could find a recipe with olive oil instead, and I did find one. This olive oil bread is easy to make and is very good. Thanks to allrecipes.com I found this one and I would like to share it with you.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix together the warm water (110 degrees), yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Stir in 2 cups of the flour in order to make a soft ball. Knead in additional flour so that dough is soft and not sticky. Place kneaded dough in a medium size greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
2. Punch down dough, and form into ball or loaf shape. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Happy Cooking!!

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year. Hope all of your dreams come true and you all have a safe and joyous holiday season. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

He is making his list and checking them twice. Gonna find out who is naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town...


MERRY CHRISTMAS

Update* Strange the pictures are gone. HEHE

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Brittney Murphy Dies At 32

News has broke that Brittney Murphy has died at the age of 32. Was it an eating disorder or drug use? It was claimed that she had some erratic behavior, and was on Adderall which is prescribed for children and adults with ADHD. The drug can cause weight loss at first, and then have affects like cocaine. Oh my! They still do not know what exactly caused Brittney to become unconscious and dieing of cardiac arrest. She was known for being in "Clueless". May God be with her friends, family, and fans. We will miss her greatly.

As a matter of fact, my oldest is on Adderall XR. Now I am wondering if it is safe for him anymore. The generic name is amphetamine. I was cautious about him taking such a drug, but I have had him on others and they did not seem to work well. He still has some hyperactivity still, so I am wondering if I should have that changed. He was on it once before, and was loosing the weight so I had him taken off. Later after nothing else seemed to help I put him back on it. I have not seen any problems other than some hyperactivity, but I am still concerned for his safety. I may end up talking to my kids doctor about what exactly I should be concerned about.

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Wishing It Was Christmas

I have one little boy who is wishing that Christmas was already here. We had some friends of ours come over to bring presents for the boys. That really set Devin to want to open them. I decided to give him a stuffed rabbit that I was saving to try to keep him from getting upset over not being able to open presents. He is constantly talking about them, and I just keep telling him that he will have to wait, or he will not have anything on Christmas Day if I let him. Some of the presents have Santa on them, so Devin would say that Santa is watching him. Now he is saying that he will sneak into them. That reminds me of when my sister and I were little. She would unwrap them when our parents were gone, and then re-wrap them before they came home. I would just look at her thinking why is she doing this. I never did look at mine. I wanted it to be a surprise. Eddie is willing to wait, and is not giving me any problems wanting the presents already.

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Watch That Doggy Door

WATCH THAT DOGGY DOOR

Could you imagine coming home from work

find this tiny creature napping on your

with your dog?

Guess who came home for dinner?

It followed this beagle home,right through

the doggy door. This happened in Maryland

The owner came home to find the

Visitor had made himself right at home..

This hit the 6 o'clock news big time.


I would like to thank my Aunt Kat and her friend Bob! Thank You both!!

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Barak Obama Nominates Ari Ne'eman

Barak Obama has nominated new people to the U.S. National Council on disabilities. One is causing autism parents some concerns. Ari Ne'eman has a perspective that autism is just one of many different ways of thinking, rather than a disability or disease to be cured. What? As we turn around we are finding that Obama is not even considering to find a cure for autism during his presidency. What? Now what are we supposed to do? I really do not like the idea of this at all. I first learned about this from Facing Autism in New Brunswick, and the post is here. I wanted to make this one short since I want to give credit to Facing Autism. Social Security sees autism as a disability. Will that end up being taken...I wonder what Barak Obama will do next. Well, then again maybe I do not. What will he destroy next? The comments there are worth reading as well. See what others think and know what you feel.Let me know what you think about all of this!!


*UPDATE*
From Facing Autism in New Brunswick

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Jim Carrey Wants Generation Rescue Donations For Christmas

Jim Carrey has decided that instead of presents for Christmas from his fans, he is wanting them to donate to Generation Rescue. His girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy of four years is part of Generation Rescue. Their seven year old, Evan, has autism and epilepsy. Her son is what inspired her to create the non-profit organization. Autism is still in need of funding, and I hope that you will donate as well. It would be like giving Jim Carrey a Christmas present. Sounds like fun, and then you are helping autism as well. You can mail your donations to Generation Rescue, 13636 Ventura Blvd #117,
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Join Jim Carrey in helping autism today!

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Palm Springs Air Museum Autism Art Exhibit

The Palm Spring Air Museum is showing off 30 original pieces done by children with autism. The article can be read here. The exhibit runs thru December 30, 2009. The exhibit features art from Washington Charter School’s 2nd grade class and art classes at the Coachella Valley Autism Society. The exhibit is included with general admission to the air museum, located at 745 N. Gene Autry Trail. So if you live in the Palm Springs area, I encourage you to go see these pieces of art and help the autism cause.

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What Do You See?

One teacher said, "I felt like they were all moving..but slowly. Kind of like, they were breathing."

The pictures attached are used to test the level of stress a person can handle.

The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling stress.

Allegedly, criminals that were tested see them spinning around madly; however senior citizens and kids see them standing still.

None of these images are animated - they are perfectly still.

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