The grant, basal ganglia, layoffs, celiac, and some unknown thing.

Hi! And welcome aboard the Heasleymobile.

Please take  your seat. 

Please keep you arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. 

Should you feel the need to puke because of our high speed, please find the barf bag conveniently located in the pocket on the back of the seat in front of you..

 Oh and your seat cushion will become a flotation devise in the even of an emergency...otherwise...sit down and hold on-we got a lot to cover today!

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Our little homeschool has been "awarded"  a grant. It is from the National Endowment for the Humanities, called Picturing America. The grant consists of 40 full color- laminated works of American Art and a wonderful teachers guide. The art work includes pieces on leadership, freedom and equality, democracy, courage, landscapes and creativity and ingenuity. The artwork arrived today and it was fun to look thru it all and see what we would be studying.

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Do you know that Tourette's, OCD and Apraxia are all neurological disorders that affect the basal ganglia part of the brain. Interesting that we have 2 kids with different disorders that have attacked they same part of the brain differently.

I need to look into that more. I am very interested in that.

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Today is suppose to be layoff day at Scout's office. It looks like it is going to be big and affect the offices nationwide. As of right now...he still has a job. They have an hour or so to get rid of him.

Unless they drag this out and don't do it until later. Which may be enough to drive me to drink! I just want it to be done and over with. 

Did I mention that I he does get to stay he has to take a pay cut!?!

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Scar has Celiac. He has tummy issues with his. He also breaks out in a weird rash when he gets glutened. He will not be able to hide it if he ever decides to cheat...it is obvious. There is also a high level of lymphoma associated with Celiac. 

There is a skin form also. The gluten attacks the skin instead of the intestines. It is a blistery, itchy rash. The only cure is going gluten free and  dapsone cream.

We are waiting on a referral for a dermatologist. 

Skipper broke out with a blistery, itchy rash on his knee. I talked with sweet Dr. Clifton at church Sunday and she wants to see him. They will do a biopsy of the skin around the blisters. She seems to think that it is going to be Dermatitis Herpetiformis- based on our family history and where the rash has presented.  

Celiac causes neurological symptoms in some people. I am interested-very interested. 

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Then there is my sweet baby. He has a mouth/eye thing he is doing. His SLP and I talked about it today. Right now we are just going to watch and see what comes of it. He is having some speech issues right now. He is trying hard..just seems like everything isn't cooperating as well as we would like for it to. 

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So there you have the whirlwind tour of what we have going on right now. So I apologize if I have seemed like I have a lot going on..I do. I have a lot on my mind and on my heart. I haven't felt a lot of peace lately and I am sure that it has been obvious to some. Life is tough. Anyone who tells you other wise is a liar. 

I am a special needs mom and there are days when that weighs on me more than others. There are times that it weighs on me more than others. 

Right now...I am weighed pretty heavily. I do not know what tomorrow holds for us...but there is one thing that I do know....

I am confident that no matter what-no matter what-that God will be glorified. 

Going back to my roots

Which really means..I am in the middle of coloring my hair.

I am too cheap to pay to have it done..so for those of you who live nearby and/or go to church with me..let's hope it is not a shocking change and you are forced to say with that forced smile.."Did you do something to your hair??"

It is time though..I have growing out highlights and I didn't realize it was that bad until I saw pictures from last week...

and it is time..

actually past time that something be done!

Here's hopin' for happy hair!!

Blessed Be Your Name...

More layoffs and pay cuts are scheduled to happen very soon at Scout's office.

So now, we wait-again and see where God will lead us.

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say 
Lord, Blessed be your name

Tap tap..is this thing on??

I have been kind of scarce lately..noticed?

 Care? ;O)

We have just been busy and really..I just haven't felt like blogging anything! 

I am always fascinated when we go out  and about with all the boys in tow. Which now that I really think about it is any time we are out. Really though, we never get a babysitter. There is no way we could pay enough money to get a poor, kind, sweet, high school girl from church to come over here. I know that if I was in high school and was asked to come hang out with 4 little boys while their parents went out alone..I would have charged them a FORTUNE!!! 

Sorry, I kind of lost track of where I was going with that one..anyway. People are constantly coming up and asking questions about the boys. Usually is it older people and most of the time the comments are kind and comical.  People want to know if Scar and Scrappy are twins, or if they all belong to us, what are their ages, or if we are going to try for that girl. Those are the typical things we get. The boys have started to notice this and can not figure out why people care . We have tried to explain to them that part of it is that a family of all boys is a little less common and that most older people like to see larger families and it reminds them of the family they grew up in.

Yesterday we took the kids on a hike. Now, mind you I am the mom of 4 boys. I do not get freaked out about much. But I was positive I was going to have a heart attack right there in Devil's Den and have to be carried off by strangers, dragging me down a mountain! I was so afraid that some one was going to fall or shove someone else down a giant crevice in the earth's crust and we would never see them again! 

One nice man noticed my worry and reminded me that they were safer in the cave than on top of the mountain. At first that made me feel better...but it soon passed once all 4 boys were out of the cave and tromping down the trail like a herd of elephants!

Boys have the manly skill of being able to turn anything...I mean anything, into a weapon of some  sort. They were able to make guns out of sticks and rocks alike! Then we(they) found tons of Y shaped sticks that they brought home in hopes of turning them into slingshots!  I do want to plead that we really are a peaceful family. I do own a .22, but I don't tote it around with me in the event that the need may arise that I have to shoot our dinner.

Boys...there is just nothing like them! 

And that, Martha Stewart... is a really good thing!

How profound

"There is nothing-absolutely no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him, and I accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret, and I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is. That is the rest of victory."

Count your blessing, name them one by one....

Today I am thankful for steroid shots and muscle relaxers!!

I am also thankful for the beginnings of our backyard garden, left over baby shower cake, chips and salsa, our new life without the tv, kids with fun imaginations, and 4 year olds who think it is cool to be Bible Man(but please do not tell anyone..he thinks it is a well guarded secret!)

I am thankful for a little rain, the time change, the bible study I am currently delving into, a loving and supportive husband, that I really enjoy being with my kids, and that we homeschool them.

I am thankful for old memories and old friends that are made all the more precious as I make new friends and new memories,  and for a God who sees me as He does-and not as I do.

I hope that today you are able to find at least one thing to be thankful for.

Oh, my aching back!

I have a crick in my back/neck.

If I sit real, real still, it is bearable. I am sure you can imagine how well I can sit still with 4 little boys around!!

Thank God...and I mean that in the most sincere way...I am going to the doctor in about an hour!

This is day 4 of that crick and it is not getting better. In fact, it has gotten worse each day.

So I am praying that dear Heather will work her magic and do something..anything to make me feel better!! I should probably take these smelly icy hot patch things off...I  think that was a waste of money!

So now, I am going to go try to round up 4 kids without moving my upper body much or lifting my arms and drive to the doctor where I will pass off 4 kids to their sweet dad and get some relief!! 

Hope yours is a good one!!!

Healthy Insanity Levels

I found this on my friends blog and I just had to "borrow" it! (Sorry Jess)  Here are a few things to do to help keep your insanity at an appropriate level. Sometimes you just need a good laugh.....

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses On And Point A Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice!

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries With That.

4. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone Has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch To Espresso.

5. In the "Memo Field" Of All Your Checks, Write ' For Marijuana '.

6. Skip Down The Hall Rather Than Walk And See How Many Looks You Get.

7. Order A Diet Water Whenever You Go Out To Eat, With A Serious Face.

8. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

9. Sing Along At The Opera.

10 Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You Have A Headache.

11 When The Money Comes Out Of The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

12 When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking Lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

13. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity
14. PICK UP A BOX OF CONDOMS AT THE PHARMACY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND ASK WHERE THE FITTING ROOM IS.