Spane's school had a fund raising event at Chucky Cheeses. Amber and her kids were going to go, but Noelle had to go to Social Skills in Burbank today, so we went with Amber and Noelle. Spane brought his homework with him.
When we got there, Noelle asked Spane if he wanted to go to group with her, and he said yes. The counselor said that would be fine, so he went.
While Spane and Noelle were in session, Amber worked on making her family a daily schedule. She went through several sheets of paper, but she finally had it. I use Lotus Organizer, and have had a schedule for quite a while, although we don't always stick to it. Doing the schedule with Amber was really helpful to me.
Going with Noelle was really helpful for Spane, too. He was beaming when he came out. I'm going to look into this for him as well.
Then we went to Chucky Cheeses for the fund raiser, which had started at 3 pm, and was going on til 9 pm. We got there around 7pm, and the place was packed. There was only one girl at the counter, with 30 people in line, and an hour wait for pizza. We decided to get drinks only, and feed the kids after.
When we got home about 9:30, Spane was tired and happy. He happily went to bed, without even looking at the computer. Yes!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Hello Kitty!
Spane and I took the first bus after school to get to his 4 pm appointment with his therapist. As luck would have it, we arrived about 15 minutes early, and I suggested we go to the Good Will store across the street to kill that little bit of time.
I found a couple of books to read, and as I was checking out, across the counter one of the clerks had put a laptop on the counter. It was a Hello Kitty laptop with Hello Kitty all over it. It looked horrible, but I went and looked at it anyway.
The clerk said the only thing wrong with it was that it would not hold a charge, but I could get a battery on Amazon very inexpensively. Since I had not gotten Spane a great Christmas present, and we did not go to Nevada for the Caucuses as I had hoped for his birthday, I told him the computer was both his birthday and Christmas present. He was thrilled.
When we got to the therapist, I was sitting there talking to her, and fiddling with the top, when I discovered that the Hello Kitty was only contact paper! I just peeled it off, and now Spane has a spiffy looking Compaq notebook computer!
Of course, that means some parental choices are going to have to be made. It's a WinXP Home edition, so it can't use Family Safety. I had to find another way around that, and posted the solution to it at winxp-home-how-parents-can-set-up-time-restrictions. It's a wonderful thing, and a wonderful parenting tool.
I found a couple of books to read, and as I was checking out, across the counter one of the clerks had put a laptop on the counter. It was a Hello Kitty laptop with Hello Kitty all over it. It looked horrible, but I went and looked at it anyway.
The clerk said the only thing wrong with it was that it would not hold a charge, but I could get a battery on Amazon very inexpensively. Since I had not gotten Spane a great Christmas present, and we did not go to Nevada for the Caucuses as I had hoped for his birthday, I told him the computer was both his birthday and Christmas present. He was thrilled.
When we got to the therapist, I was sitting there talking to her, and fiddling with the top, when I discovered that the Hello Kitty was only contact paper! I just peeled it off, and now Spane has a spiffy looking Compaq notebook computer!
Of course, that means some parental choices are going to have to be made. It's a WinXP Home edition, so it can't use Family Safety. I had to find another way around that, and posted the solution to it at winxp-home-how-parents-can-set-up-time-restrictions. It's a wonderful thing, and a wonderful parenting tool.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Back to Two
Douglas called last night and said that he and Pauly were going to be in Glendale, and he wanted to see Spane. As I was on my way to pick Spane up, Douglas called me on my cell and said that he was at a restaurant, and that he would pay for a cab for Spane and I to meet him. I told him I would ask Spane how he felt about it. I'm amazed that he hasn't gotten the faintest clue that he hurt his child so much when he threatened Spane with foster care.
When I picked up Spane, I did ask him how he felt about it, and he said, "Mommy, I don't want to see Douglas. Not after he wanted to know how big of a tent I want. I never want to see him again."
I told him he needed to tell his father that himself, because I didn't want Douglas to think that I was refusing to let Spane see him. I don't want Douglas to have anything he could possibly use against me in court.
We went to the park, and waited for Amber or Stevie to come by. I wanted a credible witness when Spane called his father, and also someone who Spane trusted. I handed the phone to Spane, and Stevie said to Spane, "Listen just tell him you have homework or something". A second later, Spane said at the top of his lungs "DON'T COME HERE. I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!", and he hung up the phone. He said he had gotten voice mail.
As Spane and I sat eating dinner, Spane said to me, "Mommy, just one Seroquel isn't working for me. Please, can I have two?"
Tonight, I called and left a message with Spane's therapist that I was giving him two Seroquels. Well, at least it's not three the way it used to be.
When I picked up Spane, I did ask him how he felt about it, and he said, "Mommy, I don't want to see Douglas. Not after he wanted to know how big of a tent I want. I never want to see him again."
I told him he needed to tell his father that himself, because I didn't want Douglas to think that I was refusing to let Spane see him. I don't want Douglas to have anything he could possibly use against me in court.
We went to the park, and waited for Amber or Stevie to come by. I wanted a credible witness when Spane called his father, and also someone who Spane trusted. I handed the phone to Spane, and Stevie said to Spane, "Listen just tell him you have homework or something". A second later, Spane said at the top of his lungs "DON'T COME HERE. I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!", and he hung up the phone. He said he had gotten voice mail.
As Spane and I sat eating dinner, Spane said to me, "Mommy, just one Seroquel isn't working for me. Please, can I have two?"
Tonight, I called and left a message with Spane's therapist that I was giving him two Seroquels. Well, at least it's not three the way it used to be.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Glendale's Finest
John was supposed to come over on Monday, but it rained so he did not. He decided to come by on Tuesday instead. He was coming to see Spane and make some meals for himself. His kitchen is tiny, and my kitchen has a big table that is perfect for preparing lots of different foods. I use it when I'm making Chicken Croquetas or Roll Out Cookies.
John was there when Spane came home and Spane was excited to see him. When I say excited, I mean excited. Homework is supposed to be done after school, after getting a snack. I asked Spane if he had started his homework, and he said his homework was in Heaven, as he ran around the house. I told him he needed to start his homework, and he said that he had left the homework at school.
This has happened a few times, so I really had no reason to think this time was different. I opened his backpack, just to check, found something that looked like it might be homework and asked him about it. He said it was something else entirely, and that he had definitely left the homework as school. I said okay, then that's that.
Since it was a Tuesday, Spane gets to stay up a little later because he doesn't have to be to school until 9:00 on Wednesdays. At 9:30, I reminded him that he needed to get into his pajamas so he would be ready for bed on time.
He flatly refused. I insisted. At some point in this argument, Spane started hitting me, and just got completely out of control. I threatened to call the police, he said fine, very defiantly, and so I did.
Of course, he was frightened when he realized I had actually done it. He knows that the police can take him into foster care if they think I am an unfit mother. Not being able to get my child into bed could conceivably be grounds for that - but I was desperate.
When the police came, Spane was still not in his pajamas, and was standing on the stoop with a bit of attitude. The police asked what was going on, I told them about the Dandy Walker syndrome, that Spane would not go to bed, and that he was getting violent. They had a nice talk with him, and basically told him that it was not their job to come out and get him to bed, and that I was his mother, and he needed to do what I told him to do.
I finally got him to go to bed, but I was thinking that only one Seroquel was not doing its job. It seemed we were going backward instead of forward.
John was there when Spane came home and Spane was excited to see him. When I say excited, I mean excited. Homework is supposed to be done after school, after getting a snack. I asked Spane if he had started his homework, and he said his homework was in Heaven, as he ran around the house. I told him he needed to start his homework, and he said that he had left the homework at school.
This has happened a few times, so I really had no reason to think this time was different. I opened his backpack, just to check, found something that looked like it might be homework and asked him about it. He said it was something else entirely, and that he had definitely left the homework as school. I said okay, then that's that.
Since it was a Tuesday, Spane gets to stay up a little later because he doesn't have to be to school until 9:00 on Wednesdays. At 9:30, I reminded him that he needed to get into his pajamas so he would be ready for bed on time.
He flatly refused. I insisted. At some point in this argument, Spane started hitting me, and just got completely out of control. I threatened to call the police, he said fine, very defiantly, and so I did.
Of course, he was frightened when he realized I had actually done it. He knows that the police can take him into foster care if they think I am an unfit mother. Not being able to get my child into bed could conceivably be grounds for that - but I was desperate.
When the police came, Spane was still not in his pajamas, and was standing on the stoop with a bit of attitude. The police asked what was going on, I told them about the Dandy Walker syndrome, that Spane would not go to bed, and that he was getting violent. They had a nice talk with him, and basically told him that it was not their job to come out and get him to bed, and that I was his mother, and he needed to do what I told him to do.
I finally got him to go to bed, but I was thinking that only one Seroquel was not doing its job. It seemed we were going backward instead of forward.
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