Question of the day

So did you get anything you weren't expecting for Christmas?

Why I am seriously thinking of never going to a theatre again.

Let me just preface this post by saying that I love movies, I love watching new ones, I love watching old ones. I love going to the theatre, and sitting down with a giant bag of popcorn. I love licking the salt and butter off of my fingers because I almost never remember to pick up a napkin. I love sneaking extra snacks into the theatre in my extra large purse. I love watching the previews that seem to last almost as long as the movie these days. I don't even mind it that in a really old theatre my shoes stick to the floor.

Well today we got the great idea that we would take our girls to a movie. This can be a stressful experience for us because a lot of theatres aren't exactly wheel chair friendly. Either we have to sit at the very front and try not to come out with a crick in the neck from looking straight up at the screen. Or we have to try to squeeze the wheel chair into the sometimes awkward slots that are "made for" the wheel chair bound. The best theatres are the ones that have an elevator that takes us up to the top so we can be behind everyone else and not be a spectacle. These unfortunately are few and fare between though. The one that we went to today is a dollar theatre, that was unfortunately none of these. It is an old one that is NOT wheel chair friendly. This particular one has one isle directly down the middle with about 8 seats on either side. The isle also happens to be very small. Which means that not only do we have to park the chair in the isle, but that it blocks anyone from getting past us as well. We have only been to this place once before and managed to make a good time of it so we figure... hey, why not. We chose a movie that had been given great reviews, The Fantastic Mr. Fox. We sat three rows from the front, because it was what was available when we arrived. It was a good location because it was far from the door, and hardly anyone would be tripping over us.

Now let me say now that my child that sits in the wheel chair is not a quiet child. She is a little noisy. We do NOT take her to adult movies, we take her to children's movies, ones where there are other children present. Other noisy children. As we sat in the theatre watching this particularly horrible movie, there were two girls sitting in the front row who were continually turning around and staring at my kid! Every time she made even the slightest peep they would turn around and stare at my child. Is it just me or is this incredible rude? I understand that it is human nature to look when you hear a startling noise, I can understand looking more than just once. What I cannot understand it turning and staring for 30 seconds each time. This happened repeatedly throughout the movie. Once I just looked at them and said "She Can't help it!" This was easily the rudest thing that has ever been directed at my handicap child.

Add to this the fact that this movie sucked! Which I expressed to my husband thirty minutes into the movie when I leaned over to him and whispered "this sucks"! It was like someone had had a sixth grader rewrite the script to Oceans 11 and then tried to put it in a cartoon form. By the time it was over we were so glad to get out of the theatre that we were even OK with the fact that it was snowing all the way home.

I came out of there so frustrated, and very glad that I did not pay full price to see this movie.

This seriously makes me want to never go to a movie theatre again!

THANK HEAVEN FOR NETFLIX!!!

Merry Christmas

Here is this years attempt at family photos. As you all know I have a talented husband who has a real knack for photography. You can see some of his work here. We have however decided that it might be better to have someone else take our family photos from now on. I hope these give you all a nice Christmas chuckle!

Hey! At least we are all mostly sitting still... kind of. Unlike these...

Don't we all look happy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wordless Wednesday (Mercy)

Sunday Thoughts #6

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

Dear Santa

Something to think about

A Walk in Our Shoes

 
Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse
  
We tried melatonin 
And gave a hot bath
Asleep early for Christmas?
...an unlikely path
   
The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When visions of Christmas 
Ran through my OWN head
 
Did I get the right gift?
The right color and style?
Would there be a blank stare
Or even, maybe, a smile?
  
Friends & family come
But they don't understand
The pleasure he gets
Just from bending his hands.
   
"Just make him stop it," some say
"Just tell him "no",
You must learn to be tough.."
On, and on they do go...
   
We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The debate is moot
Let them all take a side

We know what it's like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles and triumphs
Achievements, regressions….
  
But what some don't know
And what some don't see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity.
   
He said "hello"!
He ate something green!
He looked me in my eyes
He did not cause a scene!
   
He peed on the potty!
Who cares if he's ten;
He stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!"
   
Some others don't realize
Just how we can cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope
   
But what they don't see
Is the joy we can't hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride
   
We may look at others 
Without the problems we face
With envy, with wonder,
Or even distaste,
   
What we want them to know
What's important to see
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.
   
We don't get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings
   
Children with autism
Try so hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.
   
They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky
   
So to those who don't get it
Or can't get a clue
Take a walk in our shoes
And I'll assure you…
  
That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You'll look at us all
With respect, even shock.
  
You will realize
What it is we go through
And the next time you see us
I can assure you
   
That you won't say a thing
You'll be quiet and learn,
Like the years I learned too
When the tables were turned.


utahmaks.blogspot.com

Some Randomness for Friday

I have been trying to exercise more frequently. Let me just preempt that statement by saying

I HATE TO EXERCISE!

Really I do not enjoy it, especially in the winter when it is too cold to go outside. We acquired an elliptical machine a while back it has been helping a lot. I get very bored doing it though. I have finally discovered the secret to not getting bored while working out on it. Iron Chef! Have you watched this show? I can seriously go through my entire work out watching it and not even realize that I am exercising. It is just fast paced enough to keep my attention and you really don't have to hear every little word that is said, which is good because that machine is LOUD! Try it some time its awesome!

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I haven't been cooking much. This is a big deal for me. I love to cook but lately I just feel burned out on it. The good thing is that when I have been cooking lately I have been making pretty big meals, so there are plenty of left overs that I can heat up for dinner another night. So that's nice for me because then I don't have to cook a real dinner.

Vicious circle I think.

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Every year my neighborhood has a New Years party. We have all the adults in one house and all the kids are at my house with sitters. Yes this idea was thought up by yours truly! It is one of the most fun things we do all year. I am looking forward to that more than Christmas. Is that bad?

So what do you do for New Years Eve?

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Honestly I was so close to telling off a couple of people this week simply because they seem to feel that driving laws don't apply to them. One lady almost cause a three car accident by crossing a road when she clearly did not have the right of way. Another was parked next to my car in the school parking lot, which isn't a bad thing accept that it was a no parking zone next to a handicap spot. Yeah the one with the bright yellow stripes across it so that people who have wheel chairs have room to get into their cars. Yeah that's right, she parked there with her engine running and her kids in the back seat so she could run into the school to pick up her other kid! I was so close to telling her off. Its a good thing I am such a non confrontational person!

REALLY I AM!

You don't believe me?

Well you obviously have never met me in person! I am sassy in private but a big chicken in person. Its sad really, you should pity me!

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Does anyone else out there find that they have more people to pray for since joining Facebook? Now that I am in contact with more of my old friends and acquaintances and they all post their problems and issues, I find that there are a lot more people to pray for. Our list of people that we include in our prayers has increased about ten times what it was before FB.

Weird huh?

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People always make fun of me for moving within my own neighborhood. Why is this? I live in an entirely different house. I could see making fun of me if I had purchased a house that was exactly like our old one but this one is bigger and has completely different floor plan. Plus I have the best neighbors ever so why would I move away from them?

Seriously I do have the best neighbors ever, hands down they are way better than yours! We even get together for dessert night about every other month. Everyone brings something and we all just sit around and talk and ignore our kids while they destroy someones house.

Its awesome!

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Has anyone noticed how often I use the word AWESOME? Or how often I use this symbol !!!!!!? I may have to start keeping count.

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Everyone have a great weekend!

Here are the tunes:

1. I'm Alive- David Cook

2. When Doves Cry- Prince

3. Love Etc.- Pet Shop Boys

4. Porcelain- Better than Ezra

5. Pork and Beans- Weezer

6. Hell Yes- Beck

7. Dig- Incubus

8. The Metro- Berlin

9. Iris- Goo Goo Dolls

10. Flightless Bird, American Mouth- Iron and Wine

Bonus:

Kings and Queens- 30 Seconds to Mars

Wordless Wednesday

Did you know?

I was really bummed the other day when I realized that I missed our Relief Society Christmas party. However they played a game that I don't think I would have been very good at. Everyone was suppose to write down something that no one knew about them and then they all guessed who it was. Not that I wouldn't have been able to guess some of them but I am an open book. I talk about everything, and every one knows everything about me. Five minutes with me and you will know everything about my entire life. So I was trying to think of things that no one knows. So tell me if you knew this stuff....

I was the first girl my husband every really kissed.

I kissed more than 20 boys as a teenager.

I have moved 18 times in my life.

The longest I have ever lived anywhere is 8 years. That was in the house we just sold last year.

I was born a red head, and my grandmother thought I was the mail mans kid.

I am a walking recessive gene. Everyone else in my family has dark hair, and dark eyes.

I have been almost every hair color there is, including green and orange.

I love dogs.

I do not consider myself a Utah Mormon even though I have lived here the majority of my life.

I weigh more now that I did when I gave birth to my twins. (Not something I am proud of.)

I have driven to both coasts, in a car with no power steering, or cruise control.

I paid $125 for my first car and repaired it with my own money and mostly with my own hands.

I don't like mushrooms, but I cook with them pretty often.

I love ice cream, I could eat it for every meal.

I hate seafood, but I will eat canned tuna, as long as it pickles and miracle whip.

I almost always have at least two pair of socks on in the winter.

I hate the winter

I have never lived anywhere that is warm for more than 6 months of the year.

New York is the coldest place I have ever lived.

I want to move to Orlando, or Phoenix just because they are warm.

I haven't been to Disney Land since I was a kid, but I have been to Disney World twice in adulthood.

I hate wearing black.

I love the smell of fingernail polish, I find it very relaxing.

I can't type more than 25 words a minute.

My sister is one of my best friends, but it wasn't always that way.

I have a brother. I am always surprised that people don't know this. I guess I don't talk about him much.

I love meeting new people, but I am very bad at maintaining friendships.

So there you go, a few things about me that you may or may not have known.

What should I know about you?

Random Friday

So I know I am going to be completely ridiculed for this but I really don't like Christmas.

There I said it!

We spend way too much money, we get too stressed out because of this and being over scheduled. December is just a very frustrating time for me. I don't even like Christmas music, too many years of listening to the easy listening station at work. I especially don't like that it has to start in October. There make fun if you like, but this is my blog and if I can't state my feelings than what's the point.

(I do like getting presents though!)

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I have been so tired lately. I feel like I could lay down and take a nap at any given moment.

Do you ever feel like that? What do you do? Do you give in?

---------

I hate cleaning toilets!

Nuff said.

--------

I think I may have an ear infection.

YEAH!

(sarcasm)

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I am panicked about my child breaking something on my tree. Not because I care if she breaks any of my old ornaments, but because I don't want her to cut herself. As an autistic she has some rather obsessive tendencies and one of those is that once you say no to her about something she can't leave it alone. I have to keep reminding myself that there is nothing glass on my tree.

Thus nothing she can hurt herself on. I had an actual nightmare about it the other day, it really freaked me out.

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Do you have anything on your Ipod (or other device) that you would never admit to having?

No!

.... yeah.... me neither.....

Why?

Oh just curious.

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No news on The Bug yet, but we did go see the neurologist yesterday and had yet another EEG. So maybe it will tell us something different than what we already know. We did learn there is something called reading epilepsy. Seizures that are brought on by reading and other types of cognitive stress. Weird huh!

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Here are the tunes:

1. When Did Your Heart Go Missing- Rooney( Just kind of a fun song, reminds me of summer, probably because of the video.)

2. Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie (Milo you are so yummy!)

3. Rock Me Amadeus- Falco (Oh come on who doesn't love this song!)

4. Only the Lonely- The Motels (Classic 80's)

5. Makes Me Wonder- Maroon 5 (Love them!!!)

6. Stone Cold Yesterday- Connells (Again just a classic)

7. Paralyzer- Finger Eleven (One of my all time favorites!)

8. Stay- Oingo Boingo (These guys will always remind me of my sophmore year!)

9. The Killing Moon- Echo and the Bunnymen (Best band name ever!)

10. Here Comes Your Man- Pixies (Not my favorite of theirs but still good.)

Bonus:

What Have You Done Now- Within Temptation

(If You're Wondering If I Want you to) I Want you to- Weezer

Just Say Yes- Snow Patrol

1901- Phoenix

Just Breathe- Pearl Jam

Wordless Wednesday

Thankless

I have been feeling very sorry for myself lately. I have a very hard time when the weather changes from bright, warm and sunny to dark, cold and cloudy. It affects my mood a lot. It affects the way I see things, and it is really hard for me not to just give in to the depression that follows. It doesn't help that things with the kids lately have been... difficult. It doesn't help that things with my health have been less than perfect lately. It doesn't help that the "spend like there is no tomorrow" season is upon us. I have a tendency to wallow about when things aren't going perfectly. I sort of sink into the mire of life and settle in for the winter. I have even temporarily given up my only real outlet, blogging. Then here I am at 5 am reading other people's blogs. Just for something to do, because sleep is alluding me once again. And I run into this on one of my favorite blogs.

I cried.

This is what I feel like today, what I have felt like for quite a while now. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been exercising. It doesn't help that I have gained weight (seriously I had to go buy new pants people!) It doesn't help that I have had to clean up messes almost constantly, blood, urine, toys, you name I have cleaned it up lately. But that put it all in perspective. I will try to remember that there is a reason for what I am doing. There is a reason for all that happens, while I am doing what I am doing. I may not know exactly the reason right now, but some day I will and it will all make sense.

So here I go, trying to do what I should, even if only He sees me.