Movie Review: Hotel For Dogs

We had a family date night last weekend, and went to see "Hotel For Dogs".  Angela was thrilled to death, since the star of the show is Jake T. Austin! LOL You'll also see some Hollywood faces you haven't seen in awhile.

This was a cute movie. There are a lot of cute tricks performed by the dogs, and I think you'll see just about every type of dog in the movie. There's a nice sub-plot about finding the right family for people and homeless kids. 

Movie Review: Gran Torino

Let me put this simply....GO SEE THE MOVIE! You'll watch an older mid-western, extremely prejudiced man (a disgruntled Korean war veteran) learn some things about himself when he's forced to learn about the world around him. Every racial slur you've ever heard, and many that you haven't, will be heard in this movie. It's a good thing though, I promise. For those in the disability world, remember when The Ringer came out, and the "r" word comments in it were necessary to set the stage of the movie? The same is true for Grand Torino.

That's it. I won't say anything more, except, GO SEE THE MOVIE! 

Significant risk!

Going to Reece's Rainbow breaks my heart. If you've never been there, you should go. Pictured there are children who's lives are hanging by a thread. Many, who when the reach their 4th birthday, won't have a celebration, but instead will be moved to an institution (much like this one, and some will go to the very same one!) where they will likely die within a few months time from dehydration, malnutrition, neglect, and illness that comes when a child is subjected to all of those things.

When I go to Reece's Rainbow, I visit this page, and pray for the little girls there, many of whom have their 4th birthday looming over them. They don't know what's in store when that birthday comes. All they know is their life in whatever orphanage they happen to be living in at the moment. Some of the orphanages give very good care considering the circumstances. The children are clothed, fed, and bathed occasionally. If they're lucky, they'll be the "favorite" in their group, and get a hug on occasion. Other orphanages are not so good. The food given them is barely enough to keep a child alive. The children are severely malnourished, with every bone on their body showing, and their face sunken. Illness is rampant, and many don't survive to REACH their 4th birthday. You know, the birthday that marks their transfer to certain death.

The other page I visit at Reece's Rainbow is this one. There are girls pictured here who could easily be Angela.  Who've never received the medical care they need. There are some children who were abandoned for something as simple as a hand malformation, or a cleft lip. There are others who have more significant needs. The children who are deaf break my heart. All they need is communication, something I could so easily give a child. 12 year old girls who've never known the meaning of "family" or "home". The children who have Down syndrome make me want to crawl into a hole and make it all go away. I KNOW Down syndrome, and I KNOW it is so far away from the misconceptions these countries believe. 

Meet Irena, who's two younger siblings have already been adopted, and she's been left all alone in the world. A girl who can read, and talk, and loves school, but who has never known "family". No mommy to braid her hair. No mommy to paint her nails. No mommy to hug her when she cries in the night. No mommy to teach her about the changes her body is going through now. In fact, in Irena's country, when a girl turns 16 she is TURNED OUT! No money, no clothing except what is on her back. No nothing. She will live in the sewers with the other orphans who've been turned out. Most girls like Irena will be forced to become prostitutes in order to survive. It is said that 80% of these orphans commit suicide by the age of 18. Look at Irena's face! What will HER fate be? 

So why do I visit Reece's Rainbow? What's the point of torturing myself? I'm in no position to adopt, and probably never will be. It would take nothing less than a miracle for Dean and I to be in such a position, and I don't ever expect that miracle to happen. I go because one thing I CAN do, is talk about them here, and hope that someone reading will actually click on the link, and see a face that says, "I belong in your family! Are you the one to save me?" Please click on the links. Please don't turn your eyes away, and think "Nope, not me!" Why are you afraid of looking? What stops you from going? Is it because you don't WANT to know what happens to these children? I bet the children wish if they blinked, it would all go away, and they wouldn't have to suffer. I bet they wish just the right person would look at their picture today. Today...maybe today...thier Mama will find them. Maybe today someone will see Irena's face and say, "It's me! I'm supposed to be her mother!" 

A little humor to start the day

Got this from another blog this morning. Thought I'd share it here, to give you something to laugh about this morning. I know I sure needed it!

When did I get old?

I don't know when exactly this happened, but I GOT OLD! Do you want to know how I discovered that I've suddenly aged dramatically? It happened today when I went to take my college entrance test. Yep, I walked into the building and didn't see ONE PERSON who appeared older than about 25! 

Did I ever feel out of place. I saw all the new dental hygenists going into their area, all young and in their scrubs. I saw the vet techs, looking like they were quite impressed with themselves in THEIR scrubs with puppies and kittens all over them. Yeah, well I have scrubs at home too! Several sets in fact. All acquired while helping my kid struggle through another hospital stay. The don't make me puff my chest out like they did for these 20 somethings.

The first time I went to visit this school, the admissions guy gave me a tour of the building, and the program I'm interested in. So then he says to me, "Yeah, the instructor who teaches that program, she started later in life too."

"LATER IN LIFE"????????? Are you KIDDING ME?

I wanted to look at him and say, "Yeah, well did anyone ever mention that you look like you're about 12? And that you have no business talking to your elders that way????"

Oh well. So I'm old. I'm not even 42 yet. My age has NEVER bothered me before. My gray hairs? I've earned every one of them and wear them like a badge of honor. But today, yeah...today I feel old.

Anyway, the test went ok. I hate that I read and type fast, because it makes me take tests fasts, which in turn makes me question my answers, because surely I didn't take my time. Today I read and re-read questions to the point that I read them TOO much. LOL For once I wasn't the first one finished. Nope, I was the second. LOL Oh, and the others taking the test today? All of them were probably 19-23 years old.

Stepping off the ledge

Tomorrow I'm going to take, what is for me, a HUGE leap of faith. I'm going to a local college to take the "accuplacer" entrance exam, to see if I can get back into school.

I know that I'm an intelligent person. (well, ok, there are some who would beg to differ, I'm sure.) but part of this test is...umm.....M-a-t-h. Let me remind you that I graduated from high school in 1985. And, let me also have you look up the word dyscalculia, and you'll understand why I'm kind of freaking out about this test! 

When I was in elementary school, there wasn't a name for what I had. They just said I couldn't learn to do math. I also received tutoring for reading, because I was always turning everything around. I continued getting 1:1 help with math all the way through my freshman year of high school, when I was required to take freshman algebra. ROFL...seriously, I was still trying to memorize the multiplication tables, so they stuck me into a general math class instead. My sophomore year they stuck me in a freshman algebra class. I hated it there. I was with students a year behind me (which made me a social outcast in the class) and the person I hated most in the entire school sat right behind me. To make matters worse, I was kind of a clown, and would do all kinds of stuff to get out of whatever I was supposed to be working on. Finally, the teacher told me "I'm going to pass you with a D-, because I don't want you in my class again. (he was our only algebra teacher) You're unteachable!" Yes, really, a teacher told me that, and it stuck with me for years.

In fact, I'm almost 42 years old, and it's still with me!

A couple weeks ago, in preparation for the test, my friend Clara gave me some tutoring time. When we were sitting right there, with it right in front of me, what she explained to me and had me figure out made perfect sense. By the next day it was already gone from my brain. Tonight I opened the lesson again, hoping that something would click inside my head.

It's hopeless. 

Or is it?

Years ago, when I was beginning my journey into interpreter training, I had one class that was supposed to be 8 weeks long, but I took a condensed version over two weeks. Not only were we learning 200-300 signs PER CLASS, but we were also learning grammatical structure. At the end of the 2 weeks, when it was time to take the test, I felt like I hadn't even gone to the class in the first  place. Not one bit of the information was retrievable from the storage facility called my brain. So, on the way to the test I said this prayer, "God, you have me in this class for a reason, and I know it wasn't just to waste my time.  I don't know what the reason is, but I'll know which direction to go next based on how I do on this test. If I do well, I'll continue on, and if I don't, I'll stop here."

I scored 100% on the test, and a couple months later found myself in full-time college, later graduating with a 3.8 gpa. 

So here I am, 23 years later. My interpreting skills served me well for many years, and the information I learned along the way has helped me in many areas of my life. Four years ago I had to let all my certifications go so that I could stay home and care for Angela when her health took a bad turn. Now it's time to turn my sights to something different. Two years ago there was a local program that caught my eye, but I wasn't sure what I should do with the information. Then a few months ago Dean and I started talking about what I'm going to do with myself once Angela gets back into school. I really do NOT like being at home full-time, but other than interpreting I have no formal education. Time for me to go back to school. 

Today Dean asked me, "What are you going to do if you don't pass the test?"

My answer is, "Tomorrow I'm going to take the test, and I'm going to pray as I answer each question, particularly the math questions. If I pass the test, I'll know I was meant to go back to school. If I don't pass, then now is not the right time."

They only take the top 20 scores, and I won't find out until the end of April if I got in. But tomorrow? Tomorrow is the day to prove myself.

One step forward, 2 steps back

You may remember that right after Thanksgiving we were able to add an hour to Angela's school day. Things were FANTASTIC the first trimester of school, without one single incident, so we added one hour. In my mind I hoped that by the end of the year Angela would be back to attending school all day.

The first week things were ok. 

The second week there were a couple minor incidents. 

By the 4th week it was daily. Now, school staff is back to spending her last 45 minutes there keeping everyone safe. It's possible that when this tri is over things will improve. The "trigger" time seems to be the FACS (family and consumer science...you know we used to call it Home Ec. LOL) When they were cooking it was great, and Angela loved it. But then they went into child development. Lots more "talking" and "listening", which Angela doesn't do so well. They shortened the time that she's in there, but it really hasn't helped at all. (Fortunately the 6th graders don't get to have little kids in there! In 7th grade they do, and then Angela will not be allowed in there! She is NOT SAFE with little kids.) 

Next week on Wednesday we have parent teacher conferences, and the behavior team has requested to be part of the meeting. Her DCD teacher and I have talked some, and I'm pretty sure we're going to back off a bit, and drop the hour that we added. It's just not beneficial when they're spending that entire hour fending off blows, and making sure she's out of reach of anyone with hair. It's also not fair to the other students who are supposed to feel safe at school. If there was a problem here or there, it would be one thing, but that's not how it is. It's constant. 

Her behavior issues at home seem to wax and wane, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with raging hormones. We did start a great behavior programs that makes our mornings smoother 5 out of 7 mornings. She usually picks 2 mornings to dig her heels in. Unfortunately the incentives we have set up for her get old after just a few days, and then we have to think of something new. 

When she comes home from school, she has another list of things she needs to get done, and she can check them off as she goes. She really likes this routine, and is pretty good about getting all of it done. (with the exception of homework! LOL) We only have occasional problems in the afternoon, but when we do, it requires quick "duck and cover" reflexes. 

The behavior person comes once a week to check in, but also works with Angela on identifying feelings and emotions, and talking together about what's expected, and coming up with "a plan" for every day. Today was the first time I saw carry over from that. We'd picked up a new movie, and while we were driving home she was looking at the cover. She started labeling the facial expressions of each of the people on the cover, then telling me why each person had that expression. "That boy, he has surprise face. He surprised because a party!" 

So, I'm kind of bummed that we weren't successful with adding time to her day. It's a very real possibility that Angela will never be able to attend a full day of school. It used to be that she was just plain tired. Even with a half day of school she would come home and sleep. But she doesn't get tired anymore. She comes home full of energy most of the time. Sometimes she's a bit on the tired side and will hang out in her room, or doing something quiet, but not for very long. I'm not quite sure what it is, if it's just overstimulation (though I don't think so, as she's in a very quite environment at school) or if it's just the demands of school, and having to maintain good behavior for 5 (what is for her) very long hours. 

But, even though I'm kind of bummed, my main goal is for Angela to be successful, and happy, while still learning the things she needs to get by in the big world that is waiting for her. Over this past year I've been very fortunate to find some things outside of school that Angela loves to do, and that will help her later in life as well, both physically and socially.

My name is Leah, and I'm a blog addict

Thanks Renee, for finding a way to point out my 'issues'. LOL

91%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Some new pictures

If there was any doubt in my mind that Angela is growing up, those thoughts were eliminated tonight when I was messing around with the camera!

How did you find me?

Once every few days, I check out the live feed of my visitors (seen on the right sidebar of my blog). It shows me what search terms people used to get here. Sometimes they're kind of funny! I'll tell you BY FAR the most popular searches that bring people here are

"Narcoleptic insomniac" which brings them to this post. I have narcolepsy (diagnosed about 8 years ago) and sometimes insomnia due to too much caffeine or hormones.

Witch Tree Minnesota which brings them here.

I think I will continue to write reviews, since they seem to bring a lot of people! I bet I get 5 or 6 per day on each of those I mentioned above. I'm kind of surprised by that! If you're here because of one of those reviews, drop a note will ya? Tell me what YOU thought of the product.


But the most important one, and really the reason for my blog, is when people search things like "What causes Down syndrome?". I do have a post about that. Hopefully, once someone gets here they'll see that in the grand scheme of things, what causes it doesn't really matter. What DOES matter is that if your child has DS, it's really not that big of a deal. Life goes on. Down syndrome, while it will affect your child's life, it will not be everything. I promise!

Wee Haw!

That's what Angela says while on the back of her horse! LOL

It was warm here yesterday. Well..ok..it was above zero. It was actually supposed to be in the mid 30's but it never made it past 22 here. Anyway, since it was going to be 'warm', I scheduled Angela's next riding lesson.

This time she got right on the horse and we didn't waste any time with the dramatics we had last time. She did a GREAT job, and her balance surprises me. You can see when she starts to get tired though, because her left side starts to collapse (which about causes me to have a panic attack wondering if her instructor is NOTICING the change that I have become so hypersensitive to! LOL When you hear me say "push with your feet" it's because I can see her leaning and I'm pretty sure her instructor isn't seeing it.)

Anyway, here's a fun (and not very long) video of her doing several different things on her horse yesterday. She's so stink'in proud of herself!

If you could spare a prayer

My brother in law is in surgery right now. This is Dean's twin brother Dave. A few years ago he wrecked his knee at work. A year and half ago he had his knee replaced, only he'd already developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). I'd only heard of this one other time, and it's miserable thing to live with for the rest of your life. It is constant, never ending, SEVERE pain. It never ever ever stops. Not when you're sleeping. Not when you're trying to enjoy your life. Not when you're tired. Nothing. It just never stops. Dave has tried a lot of things to stop the pain, like walking around with a spinal block, morophine pumps, and stuff like that. It's just plain miserable. Some people with RSD go as far as having the affected limb amputated.

Since he had his knee replaced he's had nothing but problems with it. It's loose, and collapses on him. Turns out the knee had had put in was somehow defective (or the surgery was done incorrectly). Everyone agreed he needed to have it replaced again, but NOBODY would touch him with the RSD. You see, as bad as it already is, RSD can be made WORSE by additional trauma to the tissues. After a year and a half of not being able to use his knee correctly, his back and hips are now a mess. You know, the whole domino effect.

Anyway, He finally found a doctor at the University of Minnesota who is replacing his knee today. We pray that this is the end of PART of his problems. The RSD is here to stay, but life would be so much better for him if he can use his leg correctly, without further damaging his back and hips. Please say a prayer that todays surgery is without complication, and he can start his road to a better life.

oh oh oh! Casting call!

The Target Corp. here in the twin cities is doing a casting call for kids with special needs. Those interested were asked to send a picture and bio, which I did. Angela was chosen to come for the call, (as I'm sure most everyone was who sent in pictures.) So we're going on Thursday. DARN! Now I have to take my kid shopping for a CUTE outfit! How sad is THAT? (yes thats dripping with sarcasm. LOL) I have a friend who informed me she's done this twice with her son, and that they always choose the cute toddlers and preschoolers. ummmm Angela isn't either of those anymore. No, she's an awkward adolescent. But we'll go, and it'll be fun!

Now to decide where to go shopping! I need to go to a petite store, so I think we'll hit the Mall of America tonight after horseback riding.

Giddy

Because this is where I'm going in August! That means I can't go on my Tail of the Dragon trip in April, but that can be done any time! This one can't!.

Nightmares: Are they worth big bucks?

At 4:02 this morning I jumped awake, sitting bolt upright in bed, from the horrible scene that had just happened in the dream I'd been having. I won't give the details, except to say it was a gunshot that woke me.

I sat there in bed, my heart racing, adrenaline causing me to shake, and was sure there was someone in our house. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened, that it wasn't real. That I was safe in bed with Dean next to me. Once I realized all of that, I started praying, and once I started praying I knew exactly why I had the dream, and I knew exactly WHO caused me to have it. I even knew WHY I had it. (it was because I didn't follow my gut instincts earlier in the day!)

Even though I'd prayed for the safety of everyone in the house, and all my extended family members wherever they may be, I still didn't feel 100% safe. Instead I stayed there in bed, wide awake, until Dean got up at 5:40. Once he was up I allowed myself to fall back to sleep, and didn't hear another sound until Angela woke me at 8:30.

While I was laying there wishing (and lots more praying) that I could just fall asleep peacefully, a thought came to me. This horrible dream would make an AWESOME movie. Not because I was terrorized in the dream. Not because the theme in the dream was something common to several million people every day. Not because it was horrible. It was because of the heroism of the last person you'd ever expect. Probably the combination of all of it would make for a great screenplay.

So now I want to know how to write a screenplay.

Say Hi to Grunt

Please say hello to my new friend Grunt! Hold your cursor over him to interact with him, click to feed him, or just watch him as he hangs out! I was playing with him for a little bit, then moved my mouse away to just wait and see what he did. He looked so SAD and LONELY! I actually felt sorry for the little cyber-generated guy!

COOL HUH?

Do you love my new blog, or what? Thanks to Rebecca for beautifying my blog for me! You'll notice there are now buttons on the top of the blog, leading to various things.

First, a direct link to Angela's blog. YEAH!

The Calendar is for Angela's swim coach, because he's a busy guy! More than once I've shown up for swimming only to find that he's at a meet with his other team. LOL Unfortunately he isn't "connected", so keeping all of us parents updated is a bit difficult. Hopefully this will alleviate some confusion.

My dog posts will now be under...well...DOGS!

The Blogroll link is pretty self explanatory. That page will take me a bit to complete, since..well...lets not go there!

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Tonight Dean and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. Hmmmm....I have to say I had NO preconceived notions about this movie, other than friends said it was really good.

I have to agree with my friends!

I don't even know where to start in describing this movie. It's the story of one boy, and the very rough life he has in Bombay, India. (which later becomes Mumbai) who becomes a contestant on India's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". This movie has some parts that are very difficult to watch, but at the same time they're important to the story.

I know NOTHING about India and the culture there, other than there is an unbelievable poverty. I'm really curious to know how accurately the movie portrayed some of the things the children in the movie went through, so I can decide how angry I want to be! LOL

I have good news!

it is now 3 degrees outside. I bet if I listen really close I can hear the grass growing or something.

What do you do when it's too cold outside?

Have I mentioned its 30 degrees below zero here? Far too cold to be outside, burning off excess steam! So, what's a kid to do? Well, you can keep yourself busy dancing to videos of musical theater on Youtube! Seussical is Angela's favorite play, and she has a whole stash of youtube videos that she loves to watch!


When you're done with that, you can either torment your mother, or torment the dogs. Or...BOTH!