FAQ Interview

Ok warning on this blog post……I really don’t know what got into me when I wrote this!

Today I am sitting down to chat with Sandy on how life is going for her these days

Jesus and Dark Chocolate Blog – So Sandy, how are YOU doing with all that is going on ?

Sandy – (smiling and sipping her coffee) Thanks for asking.  Life has been just weird for me.  I miss the days of normal chaos.  They have now been substituted with unexpected, unknown days of chaos and unexplained tiredness.  Days don’t go as planned, and that is hard for me since I am a planner.  Things come up and I am learning to quickly switch gears and adjust.  It’s all a new normal for me….but I am making the adjustment, seeking God’s wisdom, and living life!  No need to get bitter and angry…that would lead me no where!  Hey can I get you some coffee or dark chocolate ?

Jesus and Dark Chocolate Blog (JADCB) – No thanks on the coffee, but I will take some chocolate!  Thanks!  How is Curt doing these days?

Sandy – (pouring more half and half into her coffee, and sipping it) Well, overall he is really doing well. He is NOT bored at home.  He has the greatest friends.  He routinely has one or two different friends (and even former students) who stop in to say hi, take him out to lunch or breakfast, or just hang out and watch sports with him!   He is also busy practicing drums for Sunday mornings where he still plays twice a month on the worship team. He is also working on recording drums.  I am telling you that man may loose all of his other abilities down the road, but he will still be able to play drums!   He does get VERY tired at times, so he will also sleep some during the day.  That helps since the evening and nights are often busy with sports and the kids activities.  He is also trying to get to the Rec Center once to twice a week to work out.

(JADCB) Hey this is good chocolate by the way, what is it?

Sandy – Wilbur Chocolate…duh!!

(JADCB) -  So what can friends do to help Curt out?

Sandy – Good question.  It seems that he enjoys just hanging out with friends the most.  His humor and social skills are still quite intact, so hanging with friends is a real blessing for him.

(JADCB) – What does he struggle with?

Sandy – (At this point Sandy puts down her coffee, and in a slow and deliberate voice she tells me)  He can still do so much, and I try so hard to enjoy those things and focus on them!

But  if you must know………. he continues to struggle those short term memory things like, “where is the game tonight?” “what’s for dinner?” He may ask things like that 2-3 times with in an hour.  Or he needs frequent  reminders as to what he needs to do.  I put up a big white board in the kitchen and write down things he needs to do each day on that.  That really seems to help.  And those elusive spatial concepts seem to get the best of him.  Things like buckling a seat belt, filling out a form, hanging up a coat properly, and so many other routine spatial concepts that daily elude and frustrate him.

At this point, Sandy asks if we can continue the interview another time….she is heading off to the Rec Center for a workout.  So it looks like we will continue with FAQ Part 2. So check back later in the week for Part 2.

 

Friday Fave Five

I missed all the fun last week, so I am eager to jump in on my Friday Fave Five for this week.

This week favorites included;

Yard Sales, Yes, spring and yard sales just go together.  The Inventor and I went out early  Sat. morning for yard sale bargains, fun, adventure and a stop at our fav coffee/bagel shop when we are done. I got a nice dish set, that I really needed for $4!

The Inventor is enduring her first year of track.  She has had numerous injuries and set backs, but FINALLY got to run 2 races this past week and was healthy for both of them!

Also SportTman has had a lot of success on the mound for his team this year.  I just love watching him play baseball. Even if I am freezing and have to pee!!!  I wouldn’t trade it!

With the arrival of spring, my classroom set up our own greenhouse.  We planted a ton of seeds last week and it has brought a lot of excitement to my classroom to watch the seeds start to sprout!

Whoppie Pies!  Do you know what these delicious little treasures are?  They are not a pie, but a cookie.  Oh I and love them! I have been doing extra time at the gym lately just so I can devour a few of these gems this week!!!!

For more Friday Fave Five please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story

 

Fresh Air Fund Fun

I haven’t been around blogging as much since our Fresh Air Fund young man The Questinator arrived at our house for his 7th summer!  If you are not aware of the Fresh Air Fund, it’s a program that takes children away from their NYC/Bronx/Brooklyn homes for 14 days to spend the summer in the country.  It has been a great experience for our family, and for The Questionator.  It’s amazing to see him grow each summer, when he first arrived at our house 7 years ago he had a big head of hair, and was so afraid of the wild lions( squirrels and an occasional raccoon) that lived in the jungle ( woods) behind our house.

He didn’t like the bugs, he couldn’t ride a bike, he had never gone barefoot, never shot a basketball or played mini-golf or eaten fresh watermelon or corn on the cob.  He had never gone to the beach for the day, camped in a tent,  shot a BB gun, or climbed a tree.  He also never prayed regularly or attended church.

Well as you can imagine, we have worked to change so much of this over the years!

And this summer was no exception.  He got to sleep under the stars in the the Catskill Mtns of NY.  He literally laid out  on the deck of my brother’s place, and he and everyone else slept out under the stars for the night.  As soon as he got back to NY he set up a Facebook account, and I noticed that he listed” looking at the stars” as one of his favorite activities. That just warmed my heart.

Here is the aftermath of the late night star gazing.

The Questionator also loved jumping in and swimming in the pond on my brother’ s property.  When he first came 7 years ago he would have been so fearful of swimming in a pond with living things.  But over the years, that fear has subsided, and he was quite content to spend hours in the pond!

He really enjoyed trying out something that he has NEVER done in the Bronx before!  And SportTman was happy to let him take over part of his job!

He also loved being part of our neighborhood gang and having an airsoft gun war with all of them.  He just can’t walk outside and play, so simple things like walking out our front door to a yard means a great deal to him.

He enjoyed a trip to Dairy Queen and a round of mini-golf.  His shot even got better as the game went on.

This young man is truly part of our family, and once again we had a great visit with him. We have also seen spiritual growth with him.  When he and SportTman were little Drums or I would pray with them each night before bed.  This time we noticed they prayed on their own before bed, and The Questionator initiated it! I would secretly sit on the steps and listen to the 2 of them pray……so endearing!

We are thankful for the Fresh Air Fund and bringing The infamous Questionator to our house each summer!

 

What Facebook doesn’t tell you……

Like so many of you I have become a Fan of Facebook, I spend more time there than I do blogging sometimes!  Ugh, true confessions there.

While Facebook can be fun, it often leaves you guessing and wanting more info.  For instance, I posted this as my status yesterday.

“Sandy has gorilla glue stuck all over her fingers.” Now for the rest of the story…..I was helping The Inventor make a homemade drum for a school music project.  And as I was helping her glue the embroidary hoop into place, I was hurrying and just pretty much let that lovely glue get all over me!  Luckily if you put in a google search for, “how to get lots of gorilla glue off you hands.”  It says it wears off in a a day or two, and I am happy to report that is true!

Here are other FB status updates…….

“I nap, therefore I function!” Now for the rest of the story……..I am the queen of the 10 min. nap.  I come home from school most days feeling like I can not take another step, or even think about cooking dinner….but after that 10 min. nap ( I set the timer to wake me up in 10 min.) I feel like I could harvest dinner from the field and cook it over an open fire……well maybe that’s a little extreme!  But I do feel so much better after the short nap.

“Sandy is thankful for Angie” Now for the rest of the story…….Angie is the dear friend who cleans my house every other Tuesday!

“I went into a store for one item and actually came out with just one item!” Now for the rest of the story…….yes this actually happened to me!  I went in for cream cheese, and came out with just cream cheese……shocking I know!

So now you know, what Facebook does not tell you!  What about you, any interesting status updates?