Snow, Snow, Snow!

Could it be? Is this really it? Our big snowstorm we have been waiting for? We'll see! My kids are so excited. Emma remembers playing in the snow last year and told me (in her own words) that she is going to make a snowball and throw it in Drew's face. :) Drew is hoping for a foot of snow... I'll be happy with a few inches.

What will you do while you are snowed in? I have some ideas and wonder in a few days when I look back, what I will have accomplished from this list. Now there will be some accountability since I am exposing my list!! I rate this list from selfish things :) to getting my Martha Stewart on. Here goes:

-play in the snow with the kids
-drink hot chocolate
-watch movies (went to Blockbuster last night!)
-laundry
-start a book (if I make it to the library today)
-delete old pics of my memory card and take new ones of the kids in the snow
-add some pics I recently developed to photo albums
-cook some yummy meals (baked spaghetti,pot roast, big breaskfast, apple pie etc)
-upload my tax software and complete our taxes
-make snow cream
-have my kids write letters to a soldier and tell them about the snow
-make some baked goodies and walk them to the firestation at the entrance of our neighborhood

We'll see how much of this list I tackle which depends on how long we are home bound for! I found some recipes for snow cream. Here are some variations if you would like to try it:

Snow Cream Recipes

Snow Cream - ice cream made from snow. What a great idea! Now, some people think this is unsanitary (like Eleanor Waterman!!!!) but if you're adventuresome, give it a try. It's a winter treat that doesn't happen often and tastes better than ice cream.

Snow Cream Recipe #1
1-3 Cups of Snow (make sure it's clean!)1/2 Cup Whipping Cream or other cream of choice1 T. Sugar2-3 drops Vanilla flavoringIn a separate bowl, mix cream, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add snow to desired consistency. Eat and enjoy!
All ingredients can be adjusted to suit your particular preferences. You might want to try some other flavorings: cinnamon, butterscotch, almond, or eggnog mix.

Snow Cream Recipe #2
Sweetened Condensed MilkPure Vanilla ExtractCut Mile with Real Milk or WaterSugarIn a separate bowl, mix condensed milk, sugar and vanilla

Sandy's Old-time Snow Cream Recipe
Basic Recipe
1 cup milk1/2 cup sugarscant 1/2 teaspoon vanillalarge bowl of snow (about 3 quarts)
Blend milk, sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough snow to make snow cream to an ice cream consistency.

Variations - There are many variations for snow cream. For example, substitute canned cream for milk for a heavier flavor. Add Nestles Quik for a chocolate snow cream, or use instant cocoa mix. Another variation is to add plump raisins and cinnamon, or add a beaten egg for a nog taste. Puree an overripe banana and add to the mixture. Get creative - you know your family's tastes.
Note: ALWAYS - ALWAYS make sure the snow is clean. It takes at least one to two hours for snow to clean the pollutants from the air, then use only snow that has fallen after that first cleansing snow. It also goes without saying (but I will anyway), to make sure you do not collect the snow where animals and birds eat (or do other things). Cleanliness first. Stress that with the kids, because this is a treat even the younger ones can make for the whole family.

Enjoy the snow and this time with your family. I like to think this is God's way of telling us all to slow down from our busy lives and take a break!

Piano Lessons

Emma had her first piano lesson yesterday with Mrs. Jewel at her house. Jewel is the choir leader and piano player at our church. I talked it up to Emma making it a special deal and she seemed excited. Her lessons are only 15 minutes right now and that is the perfect amount of time due to her short attention span.

Emma acted nervous when we got there, but quickly got over that when she walked in, took her shoes off, took her coat off, turned to me and said "Bye mom. Emma stay here, mommy go bye-bye". Good thing she was comfortable!

Emma has played (banged) the piano at her grandparents house and she has a full size keyboard of her own, so she is familiar with it at least. It was so funny, Jewel asked Emma to play a note and Emma would put her right hand finger on the key and use her other hand to push it down like it was sooo heavy. Boy was she messing with us- that little stinker! Jewel introduced her to the piano (black and white keys, long and short notes etc).

Jewel purchased a great beginner piano book for Emma, which we of course had to look through again last night at home! This will be a very basic thing for now but we'll see what happens. Emma tends to have a very sharp memory and is repetitive so these things may work to her advantage. Music seems to be a wonderful outlet for Emma, so I pray she will continue to shine and grow through music.

Cooperstown, NY

Drew's travel baseball team is headed to Cooperstown in July for a week long tournament. What an experince this will be for the boys... and the parents. We are really excited about the opportunity. I have copied the email we sent out to family and friends in case you would like to make a donation.

Good morning!Drew's travel baseball team is going to Cooperstown, NY in July to participate in a week long tournament. This is a huge ordeal for these boys. They will even be inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame!

The team has begun some intense fund-raising as each player needs to raise a significant amount of money within a month. Our final payment is due March 1st. We only recently found out we were awarded a slot to play.

Drew is selling car wash tickets to Auto Bell for 13.95 if you would like to purchase one (or two!). These tickets must be sold by 2/18. Let us know and we can get them to you.

Also, please see the attached letter. If you would like to make a direct charitable contribution (tax deductible) to support Drew, it would be greatly appreciated. Your contribution will go directly towards Drew's fund alone. If your business would like to make a tax deductible contribution, they will recognized on our team banner which will hang at all tournaments played this season.

Thank you for your support!

Jon, Eleanor and Drew Waterman

An Idea, a Bundle of Nerves and A Leap of Faith

A quick school update regarding Emma... The other day I had an idea. Ideas can go either way...some good, some not so good, but here it is. What if we utilize this small window of opportunity the second half of the school year to mainstream Emma and see how she can handle it to give us some guidance for next year?? I am so focused on her placement for 1st grade, but this idea hit me regarding this year. So, I immediately got one the phone and emailed to set up a meeting.

Jon and I met with Emma's teacher and the prinicpal yesterday to present my "idea". I was a bundle of nerves (see title of this post :) as I felt I needed to go in and "defend" my daughter. I have had tons and tons of meetings regarding Emma, but this one felt so important for some reason. I needed them to see Emma for Emma and not a label. I needed support. I was pleasantly surprised! Both the teacher and principal were on board with our ideas! Currently, Emma is mainstreamed for small times during the week but nothing very consistent. We are going to increase that to daily mainstreaming for a total of about 2 1/2 hours each day including morning meeting, lunch, recess and specials. They are going to assign her a "buddy" to be with her during these times (Jon's wonderful idea!!!).

Now the leap of faith....I hope she can handle this. We feel confident she can with the right help! Emma can be a bright shining star..."when she chooses to" (the saying that perfectly defines Emma, which I want to paint on her bedroom wall :). I will be in prayer for her daily. This is a big world in her little eyes, but I am not doing her justice if I don't push her to her fullest potiential. I am hoping this will provide some clear direction for our decisions for next year (which will have to be made in a couple of months).

Go Emma! Show them how amazing and wonderful you are!!! "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

Let Down

Have you ever been let down? Of course you have! I have been let down numerous times in my life, even more so in recent years having a child with special needs. I should clarify- I do not mean I've been let down by Emma, but rather situations surrounding her. I was wallowing in a bit of self pity and feeling sulky the other day. It seems like I frequently receive sour news having to do with Emma...this service is being cut, this lab result is low, this IEP goal is not being met, this evaluation labels her as "severe", jump through this hoop, then that one. Grrrr.

Then God spoke to me. In fact, at my weakest point, my Bible verse for the day came through on my email:

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

~ Ephesians 2:10, NLT

Wow! First of all, it was a wonderful reminder of how we are perfect in God's eyes. Perfection. Amazing and beautiful. I am God's masterpiece and so is Emma. Then the second part, "so we can go do the good things he planned for us long ago." This is my purpose. This is why He blessed me with a child with special needs. He expects me to endure these trials to serve His purpose. I am called to be the best advocate I can be for my daughter. He has planned out Emma's life long ago. He knows every good and bad thing we will come across in this journey. I find my comfort in knowing that God will never let me down. Though we are human and we forget this from time to time, I encourage you to do some self reflecting and realize that if you feel let down, there is someone who will never fail you.

Busy Week and a Lowe's Trip

Busy week at the Waterman household. We are working diligently to get our house ready to put on the market! Jon spent all day painting the hallway and upstairs yesterday. We are having new carpet installed throughout the house sometime this week. Lots of work and we couldn't have done it this far without my parents hard work (all week last week plus babysitting!) and Jon's dad helping him paint yesterday. This week is filled with work, wrestling practices and matches, basketball practice and matches, church, carpet installation, speech therapy, developmental therapy, dinner with girlfriends, birthday dinner for my parents, birthday party for a friend, etc.

I did want to post my Lowe's Foods grocery trip. Definitely NOT my best trip ever, but I got $53.45 worth of groceries for $12.01. This included: a gallon of milk, 10 candy bars (free), 2 containers of Breakstones sour cream, 4 (4) packs of Hunts pudding, 3 packs Kraft sliced cheese (free), 2 bags of Hostess donuts, 1 bag bbq Baked Lays, 1 loaf Pepperidge Farm bread, 3 bags of Goldfish and 4 single bottles of Gatorade. And I received a coupon for $5 off on my next order from Kraft, so you could say I got it all for $7.01 (and keep in mind a gallon of milk is $3.79 there!). The point is that I got some good stuff for cheap (although not the healthiest!). This was using coupons from the paper and Lowe's 3 week store coupons which can be found in the store where the flyers are (if you don't see them, just ask at customer service). So if you have some coupons, you may want to check out Lowe's before Wednesday when the sales start over.

Happy Monday!

Good Coupon Deals!!!

I wanted to add a quick list on here for some good grocery deals this week at various stores. This list is from Faye Prosser on WRAL. She is a coupon guru! If you haven't started couponing but you want to, I would suggest beginning with buying a newspaper (or 2) every Sunday. The N&O is $2 everywhere, but at Walgreens they are only $1.40! I will have another post later explaining how I coupon in more detail. For those who already have coupons here are the deals for this week:

Grocery deals 1-13
By Faye Prosser
Posted: Jan. 13, 2010
There are some good freebies this week including Steamfresh veggies at Kroger, Chex mix at Lowe's Foods and Quaker Mini's at Harris Teeter. Also some good meat and produce buys all around. Hope you save tons! Please share if you find any other deals not posted.
Harris TeeterJanuary 13 – January 19
E-Vic Special of the week: 27.8-29 oz. Maxwell House coffee 4.77(non E-VIC price 5.99) Limit 1
BOGO and B2G3 Deals
Progresso Soups (regular price $2.29 - $2.69)Sale: Buy 2, Get 3 Free (must buy 2 to get 3 free) MQ: .50/2 from 1-3 insertsTotal when you use 1 coupon and buy 5 cans $2.29 soup = $3.58 (.71 per can)Limit 10
Old Orchard Healthy Balance Juices, 64 oz (regular price $2.99)Sale: Buy 2 get 3 free (must buy 2 to get 3 free)MQ: $1.00/2 printableTotal when you use 1 coupon and buy 5 bottles = .99 eachCrystal Springs 12 pack of ½ liter bottlesSale: Buy 1, get 2 Free – Regular price $4.69 each Total = $1.54 per 12 pack (must buy all 3 to get sale price)
Birds Eye Voila Garlic Chicken or Chicken ParmesonSale: BOGO ($2.57 on sale) MQ: $1.50/2 on the penquin coupon displays found in stores and in 1/10Total for 2 bags using 1 coupon = $3.64 ($1.82 each)
Sargento Cheese, 8 oz shredded Sale: BOGO $1.64 for regular cheese, $1.74 for reduced fat
ProduceChilean Bing Cherries $2.99/lb
Whole or Sliced White Mushrooms $1.89
Jumbo Green Bell Peppers $1.29
Red Grapefruit, 5 lb. $3.99
Red Potatoes, 5 lb. 2/$7
Russet Potatoes, 8 lb. $3.97
Meat
HT Value Pack Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters 0.47/lb
Smithfield Pork Spareribs 1.97/lb
Butterball Thin Sliced Lunchmeat, 9 oz. 2/$5 - .75 coupon from 1/10 = $1.00
Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin Sliced Lunchmeat, 16 oz tub, 2/$10 - .35 coupon from 1/10 = $4.30
Johnsonville Grilling Brats or Italian Sausage 3.99 - .55 printable = $2.89
Catfish Nuggets 1.99/lb
North Atlantic Lobster Tails 3.99
Diary and FrozenDannon Light & Fit or Fruit on Bottom Yogurt 10/$4 - $1.00/10 coupon from 1/3 = $3.00 (.30 each)
Kraft Sharp Cheese 1.67
Sargento Cheese, 8 oz shredded Sale: BOGO $1.64 for regular cheese, $1.74 for reduced fat
Danactive or Activia 4 ct. 3/$6 - $1.00 coupon from 1/10 = $1.00
Dannon Danimals, Danonino, or Crush Cups 3/$6 - $1.00 coupon fom 1/10 = $1.00
Dannon Light and Fit 4-6 ct. 3/$6 - $1.00/2 6 packs coupon from 1/10 = $3 ($1.50 each)

Miscellaneous Food
Quaker Minis 4/$5 - .75/1 on multigrain varieties from 1/10 = FREE!
Betty Crocker Mashed Potatoes, 3.3 oz 77 cents - .35/1 from 12/13 = 7 cents
Mueller's Penne, 16 oz.5/$5 - $1.00/2 coupon from Mueller’s calendar (link was in Friday Freebies a few weeks ago)
Rice Works Chips 5.5 oz 2/$5 - $1 coupon from 1/10 inserts = $1.50Peter Pan peanut butter, 13-18 oz. 2/$4 - .50/2 from 1/10 inserts = $1.50 each
Keebler Right Bites sale $2.50 - .75 coupon from 1/10 inserts = $1
Quaker Deal: Get 1 free 64 oz. Tropicana or 59 oz. Trop 50 OJ when you buy 4 participating Quaker items. All five items must be purchased in same transaction. Offer valid through 1/19/2010. Participating items include the following:Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix 2.49 - $1.00/2 from 1/3 = $1.99 eachAunt Jemima Syrup 2.99 - $1.00/2 from 1/3 = $2.49 each Quaker Chewy Granola Bars 2/$4 - $1.00/2 from 1/10 inserts = $1.50 eachQuaker Instant Oatmeal 2/$4 Quaker Instant Grits 2/$3 Cap'n Crunch Cereal 2/$4 Quaker Standard Oats 2/$3 Quaker Toasted Oat Squares Cereal, 16 oz. 2/$5
Beverages
HT Premium OJ 2/$4 Hi-C 10 pack 1.97 Caprisun 1.98 HT 2 liters 0.87 Celestial Seasonings Green Tea 2/$5 - $1.00/1 from 1/10 = $1.50

Non-Food
Luvs Diapers 5.99 Ziploc 120 cr. Sandwich Bags 2/$5 - .40 coupon from 1/10 = $1.70 each
Ziploc Containers 2/$5 - .55 coupon from 1/10 = $1.40
Lysol with Bleach or Deep Reach Toilet Bowl Cleaner 2/$4 - .50 from 1/3 = $1.00
Lysol Wipes 2/$4 - $1.00 from 1/3 = $1.00
Lysol All Purpose Cleaner 2/$4 – coupon from 1/3
Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner 2/$4 – coupon from 1/3
7th Generation Tub and Tile Cleaner, All Purpose Cleaner, Dishwasher Liquid, or Dish Detergent 2.99 - $1.00/1 from 1/10 = $1.99
7th Generation Dish Liquid 2/$4 - $1.00/1 from 1/10 = $1
7th Generation Wipes 2.99 - $1.00/1 from 1/10 = $1.99
All Laundry Detergent sale $3.99 - $3.00/2 coupon from 1/3 = $4.98 ($2.49 each)
Bic razors, Soleil and Comfort 3, sale $4.99 – BOGO coupon in 1/10 inserts - $2.50 each (an ok deal if you need razors)


Lowe’s FoodsJanuary 13 – January 19
3-Week Coupons from last week’s sales ad are still good this week. There are a number of good deals using these store coupons combined with manufacturer coupons (which is perfectly ok to do!). Here are some of my favorites:
French's mustard .99 sale with coupon - .50/1 coupon = FREE
Crest, $1.50 sale - .75/1 coupon 12/27 = FREE
Chex Mix, .99 sale with coupon - .50/1 printable or from 12/13 = FREE
GG steamers, $1.50 sale with coupon - .40/1 coupon = .70 each
Electrasol, $3.49 sale with coupon - $2.50 from 1/3 = .99
Hamburger Helper sale 5/$5 with coupon - .75/3 coupon from 1/3 = $1.50 for 3 (.50 ea.)
There are also a number of 3-week sales in the sales ad this week:
Progresso Soup, $1.29 sale - .50/2 from 1/3 = $1.58 for 2 (.79 each) – There is also a FRC deal on the Progresso so be sure to combine the manufacturer and FRC together for the best deal. See FRC section below for more info and scenario.
Lysol cleaners (including the wipes) $2.50 on sale - $1 wipes coupon = .50
Yoplait Fiber One or Yo Plus yogurt $1.50 - $1 Yo Plus or .50 Fiber One from 1/3 = .50 eachYoplait yogurt, .50 on sale - .40/6 or .50/8 from 1/3 = .37 each
3-Day SaleThis week Lowe’s has a 3-day sale good Friday , Saturday and Sunday, 1/15 – 1/17. Here are the better deals from the sale:
Folgers Coffee 27.8 – 34.5 ozRegular Price: $7.79 eachSale: $3.99 with additional $25 purchase (limit 4)MQ: $1.00/2 from 12-6 inserts (expires 1-16)Total for 2 with coupon and sale = $6.98 ($3.49 each)
White House Apple Juice, 64 ozSale: 99 centsLimit 2 with additional $25 purchase
Rotisserie ChickenSale: $4.99Limit 2 with additional $25 purchase
Dannon light and fit yogurtSale: 4 for $1.00MQ: $1.00/10 from 1/10 insertsTotal for 10 with coupon = $1.50 (.15 each – a very good deal for Dannon singles)
Tide 26-32 loadsSale: $4.99MQ: $1.00/1 from 12-27Total: $3.99 (a very good price for Tide if you are brand specific)Limit 2 with additional $25 purchase
Grade a Turkey Breast, frozen 4-7 lbs.Sale: .89 per lbLimit 2 with additional $25 purchase
Pane Italiano Bread in bakery sale $1.39, limit 4 w/$25 add purchase
PictSweet Deluxe Steamers, 8-14 oz, sale 77 cents each, limit 4 w/add. $25 purchase
Merita Old Fashioned Bread, 99 cents, limit 2 w/add. $25 purchase
Fresh Rewards Cash deals this week
Lowe’s Foods Chunk Cheese, 16 ozSale: $2.99 eachFRC earned: buy 2 and earn $2 FRCTotal after sale and FRC for 2 = $3.98 ($1.99 per 16 oz, which is the same as .99 for an 8 oz brick – which is a good deal)
Lowe’s Potato Chips, 5 ozSale: $1.19 eachFRC earned: Buy 4 and earn $1 FRCTotal after sale and FRC for 4 bags = $3.76 (.94 each)
Trident Fish Products including battered fish, fish stick, salmon burger, battered codSale: $3.99 eachFRC earned: Buy 4 and earn $3 FRCTotal after sale and FRC fro 4 = $12.96 ($3.24 each)We love the salmon burgers and eat them at least 2-3 times a month. This is a good price for them so I’ll be stocking up.

Regular Weekly Sales:
Produce
Grape tomatoes, pint, sale BOGO for $1.74 each

Meat
Boneless Sirloin Steak sale $2.99/lb
Snow Crab Clusters (yum!) sale $2.99/lb
Perdue Fresh Chicken Leg quarters sale 49 cents per lb
Assorted Pork Chops Sale $1.88/lb
DAK premium sliced ham, 16 oz BOGO $2.49 sale price
Oscar Mayer Beef Bologna, 8 oz, sale $1 each - $1/2 coupon from 12/13 = $1.00 for 2 (50 cents each)
Tennessee Pride Sausage, 16 oz sale $2.50 - $1 from 12/13 = $1.50 each
Ball Park Hot Dogs, meat variety, sale $2.50 - .75/2 coupon from 1/10 inserts = $3.50 ($1.75 each)
Ball Park Hot Dogs, turkey or beef sale $3.00 each - .55/1 coupon for turkey, light or fat free from 1/10 inserts = $1.90 each
Dairy and Frozen
Dannon Activia, 4 or 6 pack sale 2/$4 - $1.00 coupon from 1/10 = $1.00 each
Dannon Light & Fit 6 pack sale 2/$4 - /$1/2 coupon from 1/10 = 2/$3 ($1.50 ea.)
Eggs, 18 count sale $1.88
Lowe’s Foods spread, quarters, 16 oz, sale with Instasave coupon - .59, limit 2
Green Giant Boxed Vegetables 7-10 oz sale 5 for $5 - .60/3 coupon from 1/3 = $1.80 for 3(.60 ea.) There is also a $1.00/3 printable coupon making them .70 each
DiGiorno Flatbread Melts for One sale $3.00 - $1.00 printable = $2.00
Smart Ones entrees 4.4 – 11.5 oz sale BOGO and there were a number of coupons in the 1/10 inserts to match with the BOGO sale including Free Flatbread with the purchase of 3 and Free Beakfast with the purchase of 5.
Miscellaneous Food
No Yolks egg noodlesPrice: $2.15 eachMQ: .75 printableInstaSave coupon: .75 centTotal after MQ and Instasave = FREE!Hershey's Singles BOGO - BOGO coupon from 1/10 = 2 free (at least it should ring up that way – we’ll see!)
Crisco Puritan Canola Oil with Omega-3Sale: $2.99MQ: $1.00 printableInstasave Coupon: $1.50 (found at www.lowesfoods.com and click on e-offers)Total after sale, MQ and instasave = 49 centsBaked Lay's, 8.75 – 11.5 oz sale $3 each - .55 coupon from 1/3 = $1.90 ea.
Hunts Snack Pack, 14 oz. 4 pack sale .99 ea. - .30/2 coupon from 1/10 = $1.38 for 2 (.69 ea.)
Lance Crackers, 8 count, sale 2/$4 - $1.00 printable = $1.00 ea.
Lowe’s Instant Oatmeal $1.79 - $1.10/2 store coupon found on shelves = $2.48 for 2 ($1.24 each)
Lowe’s Foods rice, 1 lb sale with Instasave oupon = .49, Limit 2
Beverage
Gatorade G2, 32 oz sale 99 ea. - .50 coupon from 1/3 inserts = FREE
Lowe’s Foods orange juice 128 oz, $2.99
Pepsi Products, 2 ltr $1 each


Food LionJanuary 13 – January 19
This weeks Food Lion Printable coupons from hotcouponworld.com
The coupons this week include:$1/2 Boxes Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies$1/1 Carton FL Orange Juice$1/1 FL Trash Bags$1/1 bag Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets

Regular Weekly Sale
Green bell peppers sale .79 each
Clementines 5 lb box $4.99
Red Delicious Apples 3 lb bag sale $2.99
Baby Portabella Mushrooms, 8 oz $1.99
Taste of Inspiration Spiral Ham brown sugar or apple cinnamon .99/lb
Boneless half pork loin 50% off – regular price $3.99/lb
Food Lion frozen Chicken breast halves or tenders BOGO in 2.5 – 3 lb bags = approx $2.50/lb
Ball Park meat franks BOGO on sale for $1.61 each - .75/2 coupon from 1/10 = $2.47 for 2 ($1.23 each)
Stew Beef sale 2.99/lb
Smart Ones BOGO – coupons from 1/10 insert for various free items when you buy 3 or 5 entrees
Campbells Soup At Hand sale $1 each - $1.00/2 coupon from 1/10 = .50 eachJohnsonville Brats $2.99 - .55/1 Johnsonville Brats printableHamburger Helper $1 - $1/3 from 1/3 inserts
FL Soda .79 each
FL 12 packs cans soda $2.50 each
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks BOGO (Reg. $2.79 each) - .50/2 printables and coupons from 1/3 inserts PLUS, I have read that if you buy 5, you get a $3.50 Catalina register coupon back
Chef Boyardee 10/$10 – various coupons from 1/10 inserts

The Never Ending School Saga...

Well here we are, one year later at yet another crossroads regarding Emma's school situation. What an annual pain this is becoming . How can I forsee what the best fit for her will be for the upcoming year? So much can change in a year. It is a very hard decision. I never thought I would have to be such an advocate and do all the research on my on...but I have taken on that role with pride and eagerness to find the best there is for my sweet Emma. I will never understand why things have to be this difficult for an already difficult situation. A lot of other parents who have children with special needs, join us in this exhausting journey as well. It has been my hearts desire for quite some time, to have a school designed solely for children with special needs K-12th grade. How amazing would this be??? I know it can happen with the right resources, but until then I have to explore other options.

Last year at this time, it was between a CCK class (a self contained kindergarten class for children w/ special needs, 10 students, 3 teachers) verses mainstreaming her in a regular kindergarten class (28 students, 1 teacher, 1 assistant) and having her pulled out for resource (small group setting for academics with a teacher certified in special ed). After much debate, we went with the CCK class. I think that has been a good fit for Emma but now...another crossroads. She HAS to go to 1st grade because we already held her back for kindergarten once. So, do we continue to put her in a SCC (self-contained class) or attempt mainstreaming for the first time??? Academically, she is far from ready for 1st grade work, but she could certainly participate in simple activities such as circle time, specials, lunch, PE etc.

We visited the SCC at Sanford Creek (in Rolesville) and met with the teacher. There, she would be in a kindergarten thru 2nd grade class. 10 students with 3 teachers. I have a good feeling about this class. I think it will be a good fit for Emma, but we want to also explore the mainstream option as well. Again, so hard to know what to do. She attends Durant Elementary now, but they don't offer any self contained classes after the CCK class, so... #1 she would have to be mainstreamed there and #2 we would have to apply for a transfer just to keep her there. Decision, decisions.

Her IEP (individual education plan determined by an entire team of teachers, specialists, therapists and Jon and I) will be sometime next month. I am eager to have that because I think her current teacher will have some valuable input to help with our decision making. Until then, I will continue researching and be in prayer about the direction for Emma.

The beginning....

Well, here we go. After wanting to do this for such a long time, I finally took the plunge! Ilove reading others blogs as it is a great way to keep up with what is going on with them. I have always enjoyed writing and putting my thoughts into words. I have so many things that interest me and I want to share them. My faith, Church, being a wife and mom, family, children with special needs (esp down syndrome), fund-raising, couponing, getting the best deals on anything, saving money, restaurants, movies, sports, photography, organizing, helping people, etc. My wheels are always turning so who knows, this could be therapeutic for me! I can't promise you will be fulfilled in reading what I have to say, but I will certainly try!

For anyone who may not know me that well yet, my name is Eleanor and I am married to Jon. We were married at 18 and will celebrate our 13th anniversary this June! We have 2 amazing children, Drew (12) and Emma (6). Drew is in 6th grade and is involved with many sports year round so we spend a lot of time on a baseball field, football field, wrestling event or basketball court. He is an awesome big brother to Emma. Emma is in a CCK class (cross-categorical kindergarten). Emma has down syndrome and has blessed our family in countless ways (future blog post for sure!). I work part time and Jon works full time as a financial planner.