Who has the time to read??

I rarely have the time to read anything other than lists, kids’ books, bills, and notes from teachers. Once in a while I will force myself to read a book with the urging of my mother. I am always glad I give into her constant nagging (with love) because I loved reading before I became a mother.

 The book I chose was one I read out of necessity but quickly realized I continued reading out of enjoyment. "Look Me in the Eye", By John Elder Robison is a must read for all ages and backgrounds. It is his memoir of dealing with Asperger's before a time of diagnosis let alone acceptance. It is about his personal struggles and insight into the mind of a brilliant child gifted with Asperger's.

 With the world so diverse and our lives increasingly intertwined it is impossible to not come in contact with a person of special needs. I believe this book will help those on the outside gain understanding into what life is really like for a person that is not deemed "normal" by society's standards. Most people are afraid of what they do not have knowledge of, reading this book will offer that knowledge to those that seek it. I wanted to share a passage from the book that I think clearly defines the mind of a child with Asperger’s.

At first, I was excited. As soon as I saw the other kids, I wanted to meet them. I wanted them to like me. But they didn't. I could not figure out why. What was wrong with me? I particularly wanted to make friends with a little girl named Chuckie. She seemed to like trucks and trains, just like me. I knew we must have a lot in common.

At recess, I walked over to Chuckie and patted her on the head. My mother had shown me how to pet my poodle on the head to make friends with him. And my mother petted me sometimes, too, especially when I couldn't sleep. So as far as I could tell, petting worked. All the dogs my mother told me to pet had wagged their tails. They liked it. I figured Chuckie would like it, too.

Smack! She hit me!

Startled, I ran away. That didn't work, I said to myself. Maybe I have to pet her a little longer to make friends. I can pet her with a stick so she can't smack me. But the teacher intervened. 

"John, leave Chuckie alone. We don't hit people with sticks."

 "I wasn't hitting her. I was trying to pet her." 

"People aren't dogs. You don't pet them. And you don't use sticks." 

Chuckie eyed me warily. She stayed away for the rest of the day. But I didn't give up. Maybe she likes me and doesn't know it, I thought. My mother often told me I would like things I thought I wouldn't, and sometimes she was right. 

The next day, I saw Chuckie playing in the big sandbox with a wooden truck. I knew a lot about trucks. And I knew she wasn't playing with her truck correctly. I would show her the right way. She will admire me and we will be friends, I thought. I walked over to her and took the truck away and sat down.

 "Miss Laird! John took my truck!" 

That was fast! 

"I did not! I was showing her how to play with it! She was doing it wrong!" But Miss Laird believed Chuckie, not me. She led me away and gave me a truck of my own. Chuckie didn't follow. But tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow, I would succeed in making friends.

 Word Count: 614

What day is it?

I often have to ask myself that very question. As a stay at home mom you can often find yourself floating from one day to the next without knowing the sun has gone down and rose again. I have so many routine intertactions in my life as we NEED routine and structure in our home to make it manageable especially with the many disabilities we have in our family. I decided to pick making a menu, which is something "list" people will understand.

1. Start on Wednesday the new grocery ads are released, this will help you to plan a menu on a budget.
2. Gather materials needed, notebook, pens, grocery ads, calendar, cook books, etc.
3. Go through your freezers and make a list of any meats you may already have.
4. Browse the grocery ads for the meats on sale that week.
5. I make a menu with four meals based on the meat on sale, one fish and two meats from my freezer.
6. In the notebook write down each day of the week starting with the day you will do your grocery shopping.
7. Browse cookbooks, magazines, online recipes, recipe cards, or any family favorite that can incorporate the meats you have chosen.
8. Write down a dinner for each day of the week.
9. Fill in lunch menu by using as many items you know will produce leftovers.
10. Write in breakfast and remaining lunch meals
11. On a separate piece of paper make the following columns in order: Meat
Cheese, Canned goods, Frozen, Dairy, Produce, Bread, Misc.
12. Starting with the first day write down every ingredient need for each meal in the appropriate section. Continue through to the last day.
13. Go through your cupboards and pantry so you can cross off each ingredient you already have available
14. Look for regular staples you may need to replace that are not already on your list; milk, bread, eggs, toilet paper, etc.
15. Add those items on your list
16. Ask your family if they need any personal items replenished and add those items to your list.
17. Rewrite your list in the same order so that it is neat again
18. Write your menu on your calendar, I have a menu board that I write on so the kids can see it and I dont have to answer what is for dinner each night 11x.
19.On Saturday we order Bountiful Baskets, after I pick them up I cross off any fruit or vegetables I received that were on my list. I often am able to swap items on the menu so that I do not have to purchase it.
20. You are now ready to venture to the grocery store, make sure to shop in the order of your list.

Word Count: 467

Poetry is just not my thing

I thought the poem "When we two departed" By Lord Byron was intriguing. The poem was left open for so many different interpretations much like a painting. I think it was about the death of his mistress.In the verse
 " A shudder comes o'er me
 Why wert thou so dear?
 They know not I knew thee,
 Who knew thee too well:"
I intrepreted it as he was at the funeral of his mistress and everyone was trying to figure out who he was and why he was so distraught over her death. It then goes on to say "Long, long shall I rue thee, too deeply to tell", this is suggestive that he has wronged her in some way. Maybe he kept her illness a secret from him, or he found out that he was not the only man in her life.
The last verse makes you think that she didn't die and that she chose her marriage over him.
"In secret we met
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears"
If you read the first verse it sounds like a first love that ended, and he would think about her for the rest of his life. When they see each other again those old feelings emerge and he was never able to fully move on. He loved her his whole life even though they both moved forward in their lives and married other people.
"When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this."
That's what I love about this poem, even though you don't know exactly what it is about you do know that it is of heart ache. I beleive we can all relate to the grief you feel when a relationship has ended.
Word Count : 329

Trying to hide any redneck roots

1. Silent as a fart in church (In all honesty my fifteen year old came up with that one)
2. Clean as a two year olds pudding cup
3. Hungry as a fat girl on a diet (Courtesy of my husband)
4. Pretty as a prize pig
5. Fit as an ethiopian chicken
6. Easy as distracting someone with ADD
7. Cold as your wife after insulting her mother (Don't do it if you don't want to see number 10)
8. Smooth as the Kirby Salesman (My name is Latrisha and I am a Kirby Owner)
9. Blind as Ray Charles scoring a boxing match
10. Strong as a pissed off woman

Word count: 115

Do we have to pay for these voice lessons?

1.) There's never anything to do on the weekends. I am sure no one will call me to do anything with them. And even if someone did call me it would probably be boring anyway. Even if I said yes I am sure the plans would get cancelled, people always cancel. You can never count on anyone these days. I guarantee it will be the same old weekend as usual.

2.) Oh... Oh... I am going to play with my friend Jeremiah. And guess what, he has every Skylanders figure ever! Guess what else, he has like fifty hundred movies. Oh.. oh... guess what else, we always get pizza. Oh wait oh wait I forgot to tell you something, this is important, he has a trampoline, and a plane we can fly.

3.) Arrggghh... me wantin to sail the seas lookin for me booty. Aye matey! While on land I gonna hornswaggle some landlubbers. Avast ye! gonna snatch me up a wench to fix me right up with some grog and doughboy.

4.)OK so like I was gonna go with my BFF DT, but then she had to go and run her mouth all about how I liked Joe and how I think his G/F is grimey, now he won't even talk to me. So we are DNF and I had to tell her dont get salty with me! Now she's acting all emo about it, whatever SML. BTW there is a party that is gonna be epic!

5.) My plans for the weekend.... Friday movie night with my family. Saturday if I am lucky sleeping in! Then it will be the usual Saturday morning chores, grocery shopping, running kids to friends, I am pretty sure there is an oil party I am supposed to attend that day?? Sunday will be breakfast with the family, church, couponing with my sister, more chores, homework, bathe the kids, read some books, then bedtime for the kiddos, and relax while catching up on my shows for the week. I am sure I will have to solve someone else's crisis along the way as well!



I am a mother!
I am relevant!

In the beginning....

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..... Well not really but it feels like that! Naturally I was a superbly well behaved child with excellent manners and extreme respect for adults. My mother always received compliments on how well behaved we were. However my mother continues to tell the story of how I gave dirty looks since the day I was born. She often tells of how whenever my father was in the room I was a perfect Angel but as soon as he walked out my horns emerged and I breathed fire at my mother. I was a sweet child full of laughter and smiles. I have wonderful memories of childhood. Much like today though I was very argumentative. I always had an opinion, a theory, or even just wanted to be stubborn. I am still like that today in fact my mother recently posted a saying on Facebook that said “I am not arguing, simply proving that I am right". Below it she said “This sounds exactly like one of my children". Well everyone knew who that child was! I had a sense of humor just like my father’s and adults were genuinely drawn to me. I was carefree and adventurous, and I loved being outside.

word count: 211