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Roseville Toy Mom Blogetaboutit!
Real Name: Colleen Member Since: August 20, 2008 Last Signed In: November 18, 2009 Blog Views: 352 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
Boo Hoo to Swine Flu
What is your Favorite Family Game? Special Needs Cheer Camp Shopping Local warms my HEART Special Needs Cheer Team Thank you Fancy Friends! Spied-Her Boredom Buster Break (Spring Break, that is!) I'm Diggin' Those Roots Special Needs Cheer Team December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
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So, my 15 year son comes home from school, slowly I notice that he is not looking "himself". I see as the evening progresses that his color has changed, he's complained of a killer head ache, and he just didn't look RIGHT!? I suggest he go to bed early, I say, "You're probably fighting something off!" "So, listen to your body and go get the rest that you need." They next day, fever, full-on flu aches, cough, sore throat.....meanwhile he shares with us that he had this girl in his class that's been out sick for a few days, that he sits next to, she'd been coughing, etc......I'm thinking, ugh! So, I take him to Sutter for a "check" just to be safe. Sutter thinks it's not swine flu, whew! Just a virus. Mean while, a week or two has passed by, and this non-swine flu is going through our work and his high school like wild fire. Why is there such different protocol at schools within our one state, within our one county? Why when I call the school nurse and asked specifically if there had been any confirmed cases of swine flu that she reports to my husband that our high school has not had a single confirmed case? When I know for a fact that a dozen of our football team kids have passed it around!? I am so confused. I've seen the news....I know that it's going through our schools....our neighboring high schools have made the news. When my kids were in elementary school and someone had chicken pox or head lice I got the courtesy letter, why not now? What are you doing to keep your kids healthy? What do you think is the school district's responsibilty as far as informing us? I'm frustrated, just had to blogetaboutit!
September & October we are focusing on Family Game Night at Learning Express of Roseville. Playing games as a family is a great way to work on sharing, turn-taking, and of course learning how to be a gracious winner or loser! We have had some super fun nights with neighbors, family and the kids. One of my fondest, most-favorite childhood memories is playing Yahtzee with my Gramps. I loved playing that game with him! We would play over and over again, going through sheets and sheets of scorepads. Ultimately we would play for 25 cents a game! Until he passed 2 years ago, he still reminded me about how much he loved that time we spent together. I really want to hear what games you play. What are your kids' favorites games? My 6 year old niece recently go me addicted to Blink - it's so fast and fun. It's SET meets SPEED in one game. My 30 year old niece and I get darn right competitive about Bananagrams, ugh! She really makes me mad because she ALWAYS wins! Yes, I can be a BAD loser! As a mom, I would cringe whenever my son wanted to play Chutes N Ladders....I'm sorry to admit this but I felt like that game would never end. There was never much "fun" after about the 10th ladder or the beloved chute sound effects - weeeeeh!........ Please share, I await your faves! Pride, a mother's pride, a team's pride, a community's PRIDE.......we had the most fabulous day at cheer camp. This team works so hard. These kids support each other, work together and are gaining so many skills. Take a minute, check out the PRIDE in their faces. And I am most PROUD to say one of 'em is my girl Kiki, my niece Lauren, and the others are blessings that I am thankfrul for, every single moment of every single day! Take a moment to click on this video link, these kids deserve an opportunity to make you have a better day! First and foremost, I love my job, I love our store, I love what I do. How many people are fortunate enought to really enjoy going to work each day and enjoy what the day brings? I do! I have been at Learning Express for over 8 years now, and it just keeps getting better. Sales are down, yeah we're in a tough economy but our customers still keep coming in to our store. Shopping locally, one customer at a time. I am so proud of our store. We really like what we do, and genuinely Love our customers! We LOVE their children and LOVE sharing what's new, HoT or exciting. And yes, we even gift wrap your purchases for FREE! And even better? We welcome you, help you and make eye contact, remember customer service? We've still got it! A week ago, I had to work Sunday, this is my sacred day off. I NEVER EVER work Sundays! Seriously, I was NOT looking forward to going in - but I did, we're a team, we cover each other. It's what we do. So I go into work, and I could not pout, be grumpy or upset. As soon as the moms & dad's started coming through the doors with fun in mind, a party to go to or someone to shop for, I was lifted. It's like happy juice is filtered through the air system there! I cannot be grumpy. It's really the 2nd happiest place on earth, second only to Disneyland! Seriously, there's no pressure, no sales pitch.......we just welcome and enjoy our customers, plain and simple-old-school-style! So, with that said, I know that times are tough, seriously, I know.....my husband has been furloughed from UPRR for over six months now! But still, I count my blessings....I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a great job, flexible hours, I work around my kids' needs (even my special kids' needs!) and our customers are aMAZing! i am so Thankful. That's me. Thankful through and through!
THE PRIDE OF POWER Special Needs Cheerleading Team IS LOOKING FOR ATHLETES OF ALL AGES AND ABILITY FOR THE 2009/2010 CHEER SEASON
PRACTICES BEGIN IN JUNE PLEASE CALL KASSY @ 916-813-0444 or Check out our website at
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING www.powercheerallstars.comTO VIEW OUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE ON YOU TUBE GO TO: YOU TUBE then type in POWER Special Needs Cheer (it is the first one on the list~ GSSA Championship) WE WELCOME ATHLETES OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY .
Friday's Fancy Nancy Soiree' was SO much fun. Thanks to all the moms (and dad) that joined us! We made super-fancy noodle necklaces, drank fancy PINK lemonade, PINK watermelon (with frilly toothpicks of course! Just like Nancy) and enjoyed three fun stories. I am planning my whole summer schedule of Fun Fridays Storytime, Water Wednesdays, Toddler Tuesdays, lots of fun events to prevent the Brain Drain this summer. I hope to see more new friends and mommies! Queen Colleen It's Wed a.m. 7ish, sit down to a cup of coffee with my TVBF (Matt Lauer), kids are sleeping, this is MY favorite time of day. Get up for a refill, return to comfy chair, look down, see what appears to be a brownish thread ball? Move in closer and wonder WHAT has my dog been chewing now......slowly, legs uncurl......I scream! My husband and TVBF are not reacting fast enough......it was a spider that had been squashed under my boote' (thank GOD I had a robe on and it wasn't HOT summer yet!?) I made my husband flick it into a zip-lock for proof and pride of conquest. Two of it's legs were mangled from my girth......Please take a moment to enjoy my photos, one is horrible with reflective flash burn, but I wanted, no I NEEDED everyone to know, I conquered the beast! Still suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Spider Disorder)....heebie jeebies everytime I approach my favorite comfy chair. Honestly, I'm bummed....we go out of town every year for Spring Break. This year, it's just not possible. First time in 9 years! I'm feeling so guilty and still want to have a fun and exciting break.
So, I was looking through this book that we have....101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12! by Joanne O'Sullivan and I was thinking to myself that I need to make a list of some fun and amazing activities for my kids during this upcoming spring break.
Having the kids out of school is my all-time favorite - no early morning alarm clocks, backpacks, checking homework, no rushing, packing lunches, getting breakfast, picking out clothes, doing pony-tails.......So this Spring Break, here's what I've decided we're going to do....to make this a fun and memorable one!
Sunday night I am going to write down 10 things that we can chose from (list below) and have the kids take turns being the "lucky- picker-out-of-the-hatter". Of course I will pre-load the choices with things that we can afford and are practical for our family this year.(I'm really going to miss Pajaro Dunes, waah, cry, pout...)
So here's my list of little nuggets of fun to chose from for my kids...wish me luck!
1. Have a Family Home-Film Festival (We're fonna roll out all the home videos that we never make time to watch, turn the lights out & eat popcorn and red vines of course!) Kids of all ages LOVE watching themselves over and over, and we never get sick of enjoying our kids, right?!
2. Hunt for Gargoyles (architechtural ones of course!) in Old Town Auburn, Roseville or Sacramento. I may call this Gargoyle Safari and incorporate our digital camera for reflection and to share with dad when he comes home! My son has mentioned wanting to be an architect, this could be cool, right!?
3. See an IMAX Movie & Old Sac Day (We LOVE poking around the shops in Old Sac and then watching the beautiful Sacramento River)
4. Have a Spa for Paws in the Front/Back Yard (Give our dogs a bath, blow dry and extra TLC) and maybe invite the neighbors' kids and mutts too!
5. Go to the Discovery Museum and then we'll eat Astronaut Food for Dessert (We sell "Astronaut Food" (dehydrated ice cream sandwiches) at Learning Express, seriously!) I've never even tried it! My kids will think I'm nuts!
6. Go fly kites and enjoy a picnic at a park we never go to. (We'll head up to Auburn or Grass Valley just to mix things up a bit!) and invite our local cousins and Grandparents!
7. Take a Road Trip – to one of our local treasures, like Gold Bug Mine, Coloma, or Apple Hill.
8. Go to the University of Davis and explore the campus and town for the day!
9. Make a family time capsule and bury it in the backyard........this could be super fun for the whole day!
10. Go to San Francisco and be a tourist WITHOUT relatives visiting for a change! I love going to San Francisco, but feel like we're always going with family that is visiting from out of state......we never have time to do it all, see it all! I'm 43 and still have not been to Alcatraz since I was 4 years old, like I can remember that!? And I think we should take the ferry into town for a change, how fun could that be!?
Wish me luck.....and tell me (real quick, before Sunday) if you have some better ideas. Remember, I need to convince my kids that we're having a super cool & groovy Spring Break!
My dad's turning 80 at the end of the month. I've been interviewing him and other family members to help add to the celebration for his big birthday bash. We just celebrated St. Patrick's Day as a family last night while my aunt was here visiting from their birth state - New Jersey, and boy do they have stories! I had so much fun sharing our ancestorial records with them. I found all kinds of stuff on ancestry.com! I am obsessed with reading all the census reports from back in the mid 1800's. It's so fun to see where we came from, what our great-greats did for a living (my great grandfather was a blacksmith) and I still have so many more questions. What were his hobbies, and what do we share in common? I want to fill in all the gaps and recreate a day in the life of my great-grandma (She died in 1911 of TB and her husband a month later)......I wonder what was my great-grandma's in-a-hurry dinner? Was she quiet? Was she happy? And how on earth did her sister have 15 children?! I'm grateful to still have my dad, so glad my kids know him. I'm so thankful that I can ask him questions that the 40+ me wants to know now. Things that never interested me before...........like growing up during the depression, his first job, favorite vacation, favorite pet, family meals, etc......I feel like a detective, it's so fun! I tell him and my aunt that I'm "interviewing" them, but they probably feel more like it's an interrogation. So, my daughter is coming to the end of her second season with The PRIDE OF POWER (Power Gym's Special Needs Team) and let me share with you how wonderful these two years have been for her and our family. Brief history: When my daughter was nearly 2 she was diagnosed with Autism. A scarey thing to hear when I looked at my perfect toddler whose sky blue eyes became empty, as if she were trapped inside. She had no language which lead to tons of frustration and behaviors that nearly broke my spirit at times. Through early intervention, sign language, picture schedules, tons of 1:1 Behavior intervention, IEP's and so on.......I find us now, so far from where we began. So fast forward - she's 12, mainstreamed since kindergarten. Yeah, she has autism, but autism alone does not define who she is. She's a 12 year old girl who loves Hannah Montana, flat ironing her hair and shares her desires with me to be a cheerleader when she goes to Junior High. She told me, "Mom, when Kiki goes to Jr. High, Kiki will be a cheerleader." First, I'm freaking out cause she's articulating her secret teenaged desires with me, and at the same time I felt scared. As mom & protector. My stereotype of cheerleaders were like so many others' - girls who would never accept someone like my daughter. It's hard enough to deflect the looks and stares at times when her behavior is not always what society says is acceptable or normal. Sometimes, even though we've come so far, it can feel so lonely. So, when my sister-in-law told me that John from Power Cheer in Roseville was starting a special needs team.......I thought to myself, "Hhmmmmm we'll check it out". (There's no way my daughter will wear make-up or those uniforms, please! She barely tolerates a pony tail but still, this could be something, we'll see...) So we go. And sure enough, there are other girls (and boys) just like her, with special needs, who want to cheer, dance, move, jump, tumble and belong to a team...and what's even better? There are coaches and typical cheer peers who are there to support and instruct. And here we are two years later - A team, still going strong, making friends, sharing in social settings and having so much fun! No two of our kids are exactly alike, but they share a common bond, of teamwork and desire to do their best and to be celebrated as well! And the girls who volunteer their time to help our kids learn and do their best deserve a whole 'nother blog all to themselves. These are girls, school-aged kids who chose to make a difference in the lives of others! So, if you know someone who would be interested in checking us out or joining our team the coming season, let me know. You can come see us practice any Wednesday through the rest of the season. One thing I know - my daughter is a 14-year old cheerleader. She works hard, focuses, and beams from the inside out with PRIDE. She did it, she's a cheerleader. And, she loves it! 
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