To Brain Balance or not to Brain Balance.....

From August 1st until now my brain has been operating in total mush mode. Not because I am pregnant and can barely complete a thought before losing my train of thought....no it's because that is the day our Brain Balance journey began. I became familiar with the program about two years ago when we were in the midst of finding programs that best suited Ethan's needs. It was not somethiing I had ever heard of before and therefore it got put on the back burner of all the things I "NEED TO DO" but never seem to find a spare minute for. Flash forward to today and my ex-husband and I have had nurmerous discussions lately and feel as though we have hit a brick wall with Ethan and his current therapies. Thus enter Brain Balance again..... My current husband and I decided to pay out the money and go forward with the extensive evaluation process for Ethan. It would prove to be quite overwhelming when the results came back, but needless to say Ethan more than qualifies for their program and most definitely has an "identified" brain imbalance. I read their recommended material "Disconnected Kids," and I too came to the same conclusions that the people at Brain Balance did.....Ethan has a right brain disfunction.....but where does that lead....????? Joey and I attended the results meeting and I think we both agreed with the findings from the eval. Coupled with the severe issues we have been having this school year (despite being only 8 days in.....) and I think we were both ready to dive in to a new program with the hopes of seeing great results for Ethan. Well....that diving in would come with a hefty price tag and A LOT of changes and time commitments on our parts. For starters, the first 12-week program will cost us $9500.00 (insurance pays a whopping $0) and a lot of the beginning work would be done at home. Joey and I would be properly trained on excercises to do with Ethan 3X a day to eliminate his primitive reflexes which did not drop off naturally as he went from birth to toddlerhood. Ethan would then go 3 afternoons a week to their program and work exclusively on sensory and cognitive development skills designed solely to "build up" the right side of his brain. In addition, we would work very closely with a Nutritionist to develop a plan for Ethan...which will more than likely be Gluten and Casein Free. We will add suuplements that many children with neurological disorders are deficient in and we would get constant support from the Brain balance staff as we adjust to this new normal. WOW!!!!!! I dont think I have yet to catch my breath. I left feeling hopeful, intimidated, overwhelmed financially, scared, and utterly without a clue as to what the right thing to do was going to be. AND NOW....I sit here over a week later and I am still all of those things above, but mostly just OVERWHELMED by it all. I have spent all day today reading blogs of parents who's children are doing the program. I have studied GFCF eating and the things that must be eliminated ASAP from Ethan's diet (mostly every single thing he currently enjoys....) and we are still at a crossroads as to how to move forward. I am on the brink of just "going for it" because the reviews are amazing and the blogs of these mothers that have been incredible results made me tear up and want to grab Ethan and drive there right now! So instead....I type....because it is some sort of a release....and perhaps a friend will read this and know of someone who could share their testimony of Brain Balance with me and my family so we may make a more sound decision. Until then.....I will continue to worry, stress, fret over the decision we are faced with.....all the while knowing that the clock is ticking and we are losing precious time that we can not get back. Sitting on our thumbs will lead to nothing.....

Couponing....and ON BUDGET!!!!!

I was so lucky to be able to sit down this morning with two great women and discuss some great money-saving couponing tricks of the trade. I was pretty much prepared for my weekly shopping trip before heading there this morning, so I was not able to put my new found ideas to work just yet. However, I did set out this week with a strict goal of staying on budget even though I had to purchase some more expensive items like vitamins, pull ups, meat, and probiotics.

Being an avid Publix shopper, this week threw me for a loop because I decided early on that I was going to do ALL my shopping for this week at Kroger. This was motivated by the 10% off coupon that came in the mail to me last week. With my budget generally being in the range of $80-85 per week, that was an automatic savings of $8 or more. There was no way I was passing up FREE MONEY!!!!

This week, for those that don’t know, Kroger is running a BUY 10 selected items and get an automatic $3 off plus get a $2 off voucher to use on your next shopping trip. Through utilizing my coupons and this store offer, I was able to purchase all 10 of my items for a total of $19.02. These items were: (2) Campbell’s Chunky Soups, (1) large Aluminum Foil, (1) Jar Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, (1) pack of Oscar Meyer Hotdogs, (1) 4-pack Dannon Activia, (2) Degree Deoderants, (1) Purex Detergent, and (1) pack of Overnite Pull-ups.

Kroger is also running a deal this week on Tyson Chicken Breasts for $1.99lb. I was able to plan my meals according to this sale (Southwestern Chicken one night and Chicken with Egg Noodles another) all for a little more than $7.00 for all the meat. Kroger also has Stouffers Family Size dinners on sale this week for $5.99 therefore I scored with my $2 off coupon from last Sunday’s paper and purchased a Veggie Lasagna for this week for only $3.99. Throw in the garlic bread and salad fixings and dinner is on the table for well under $10!

If you are in the market for Vitamins or anything of that nature, then Kroger is the place to go. If you are not loyal to a name brand, you can always secure the Kroger brand Vitamins and Minerals of all sorts for BOGO! This is quite a deal when you think of how much one bottle of Vitamins actually cost. In addition, this week Kroger has Disney/Marvel Gummy Vitamins for kids on sale BOGO. Use the $1 off coupon from last Sunday’s paper…or use both $1 off coupons and secure these for $5.99 or $4.99. That’s awesome for 120 vitamins total!!! I also purchased the Kroger brand probiotics and got myself a 2-month supply for $8.99 because they were also BOGO! Other name brand probiotics can run from $13.99 all the way to $24.99 for only 1-month supply!

All in all this week was a success! I spent a total of $79.69, saved myself $60.46, for a grand total percentage of savings at 44%. My budget this week was $82 so I came in just under budget and also picked up a few items that were not on my original list. Aside from the above mentioned items I also purchased: grapes, bananas, zucchini, squash, a lemon, (2) cream of chicken soup, egg noodles, yellow rice, 12-pack diet pepsi, 2 cans chicken, gallon milk, American cheese slices, frozen garlic bread, salad veggies like pepper and cucumbers, honey graham sticks, and Dove Bar soap for my sweetie!

Can’t wait for next week to put some newly learned tricks to work and we shall see if my percentages improve!
Happy Couponing Everyone!!!!!

Happy Couponing

I almost did it….I was almost able to beat myself at the coupon/money saving game this week….but ultimately I was not able to make it happen. I originally had $86 to spend this week for my family. I set a personal goal to only spend $80 but ended up with a grand total of $86.83. Not too shabby in hindsight since I planned an extra special meal and dessert for Valentine’s Day night and bought the “have to have” red sprinkles to decorate my son’s sugar cookies for his class for Valentine’s Day!

Wouldn’t we all be a little bit richer if items such as fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meats were ever able to be purchased with coupons? My haul this week included strawberries, asparagus, zucchini, green onions, a large bag of baby carrots, a dozen eggs, 1 quart buttermilk, shredded cheese, sour cream, 12 oz of cream cheese, and 1 ½ lbs of top round steak….all of which I had to pay full price for. Fortunately places like Publix usually have great deals on a “fruit of the week” and their meat selection is usually phenomenal…not to mention their awesome buy one get one free deals. I would imagine, even with the discounts I am able to score at Publix, these above mentioned items take up at least ½ of my total cost every single week.

This week I scored some Arnold Country Bread for BOGO and some Breyers Ice Cream as well (hubby will be happy about that!!!!) They did have some other very good BOGO deals but I am married to my budget so I did not deviate and stock my cart with anything extra this week. I was however VERY tempted to utilize my ALL Detergent coupon, which expires in 2 days, but since I am married to my budget I had to let this one go. (side note: for those that don’t know, I am a closet laundry detergent addict….just ask my husband…..we currently possess 12 bottles and I am DYING to add to that!!!!)

Overall this was a rather successful week. Besides the staples that I mentioned earlier and the BOGO deals, I was also able to score a few frozen lunches for myself, snuggle dryer sheets, large bleach, butter sticks, golden mushroom soup, rice, a small thing of merlot (for cooking), heavy whipping cream, spaghetti noodles, paper towels, powdered sugar, white baking chocolate, prosciutto, splenda, coconut, Lays BBQ chips (for FREE!!!), cherry pie filling, a 12 pack of sodas, and those special red decorating sprinkles for one SUPER little man!!!

Total saved this week was $23.00. Could have been better….have had better weeks in the past but with Valentine’s Day coming I focused more on making my little loved ones a really awesome Valentine’s Dinner complete with a Cherry Frosted Red Velvet 3-layer cake (homemade )

And now that my mission for this week is completed, I am off to enjoy a very quiet evening alone watching “Mommy” shows and relaxing!
Happy Couponing Everyone!!!!

For the love of Independence....

I have been tossing around this statement in my head for weeks now….”how do you encourage children to become more independent?” Seems like a simple enough question and one would think a simple solution could be found…however I am convinced that the “solution” is far more difficult than meets the eye. Perhaps there are other moms pondering the exact same question or dealing with some of the same issues so I thought someone might read this and provide insight. If not, then at least I am getting my thoughts out of my own head and on to paper….well sort of…

I have never met children with more toys, games, movies, puzzles, and knick knacks as my two. They even have a somewhat broad imagination that comes to life in the form of wrestling and chasing each other endlessly throughout my house. They are a great age difference apart and are very fortunate to have a live-in playmate at all times. With that said, why is that I cannot pee, do laundry, fix myself a glass of water, load or unload the dishwasher, handle feminine needs, shower, change clothes, brush my hair or teeth, complete my makeup, have a simple phone conversation, walk to another room for a brief second, kiss my husband, or pretty much ANYTHING else without having them attached to my hip, leg, or foot or without them endlessly screaming my name!?!?!

I simply am not that fascinating nor do I feel that I have the ability to be an endless source of entertainment for 2 or 5 year olds. I do understand a child’s need for attention, affection, etc….but mine get all of that and more. I often find myself wondering why they can’t simply be out of my site for more than 3-5 minutes at a time without sending out a search party. I never knew silence could be so loved, so appreciated, as I do now when I get the small brief moments to myself.

I do not wish for this time to pass quickly for I know that it already is. My son is 5, in pre-k, and changing everyday in front of my eyes. My daughter is potty trained, outgrowing all her clothing, and totally developing a mind of her own. People say all the time, “do not wish this time away for you will miss it…” and I could not agree more. However, just this once, for the sake of my privacy, my vanity, my make-up, my pitiful hair jobs, my “mommy” clothes, my not wanting to answer the question….”mommy what is that” (pointing to my private area)….just this once….I would like them to have some independence!!!!!!

One Great Holiday

Where on earth has 2011 gone. Is that what happens when you find true happiness in your life….the days start to literally fly by. One year ago I was still in Savannah having just celebrated my first Christmas officially “out on my own.” I never would have guessed back then that I would be sitting here today…my life having done a complete 180.

We have truly been blessed this Christmas season. My husband and I are thoroughly enjoying married life, my children are happy and healthy, and God has provided for us immensely through this past year. We are still praying for some financial assistance for Ethan and his medical/therapy needs as they continue to mount and the need for additional services becomes evident as we near the crucial time of preparation for Kindergarten.

December completely flew by and before I could blink it was Christmas morning. We enjoyed many good moments in December, especially celebrating Ethan’s 5th birthday at the local bowling alley. The look of pure joy and excitement on his face was the highlight of the day. This was his first experience at bowling but it most definitely will not be his last. We also attended many Christmas events this season and were able to spend some true quality time with our families.

It has been such a joy this season to really just enjoy each other and our new little family. One of my favorite gifts this season was a precious ornament from my dear sister, Kristen, which symbolized our first Christmas together as a family. As we prepare for 2011 to come to an end, I am so excited about what lies ahead for me and my family in the New Year.

Random facts...compliments of Ethan and Ella Grace

Things that my children have taught me recently:

1) Girls actually CAN pee standing up like their Big Brothers do…although sometimes their socks end up wet.
2) If you eat too many grapes in one weekend you will actually poop out the grape skin
3) If you laugh like this…”AH HA HA” really deeply while swinging a baseball bat you are almost always successful.
4) There is nothing quite like waking up next to your 2-year old after they have crawled in your bed at 4am.
5) Children will scream out the names of every animal they see in a book while you try your best to read the story
6) No matter how young they are or old they get, telling a child that broccoli is a tree NEVER works
7) If you tell your daughter to stop bitching, she will proceed to walk around the house for the next five minutes saying “I bitch,” “I bitch…”
8) A stubborn little boy will still poop his pants and then sit sideways in his car seat to avoid having to feel it. ALL THIS because he refuses to poop in the potty. That’s determination right there…
9) No matter if you are going 5 hours or 5 feet, a child always wants to have a movie on in the car
10) When your daughter has a BAD diaper rash, squirting her off with the sink hose works just as well as wet wipes! So glad my creative fiancée` thought of that one!

Some things from this week....

Some things I have learned this week:

1) It is hard to watch your first born start his first day of PreK because you know that means that he is no longer your baby.
2) When you put on the PERFECT wedding dress your face lights up brighter than ever before.
3) I can throw together some darn good dinner with all the little “scrap” items lying around in my fridge and pantry.
4) A 4-year old can poop out things that look like bombs and smell like dead animals.
5) If you give children shampoo that comes out in a pump, they will GLADLY wash the walls of your tile shower with it.
6) Shoes are apparently very overrated when you are 2.
7) Jumping down 4-5 stairs at a time makes a child look like Superman….
8) Fly swatters that send electric shock to the fly when you hit it are BY FAR the coolest inventions ever.
9) A man who will shop with you 2-days in a row while you seek to find that perfect outfit is WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN GOLD!
10) A 2-year old is perfectly capable of sleep walking and freaking you out at 1:00am.
11) Hearing your child say “I love you” to your future spouse makes you overjoyed.
12) And lastly…from my sweet 2-year old daughter I have recently learned that Old McDonald has a bicycle, an Ethan, a cow and most importantly Chicken and French Fries!!!!