It's fun for families!

Happy Friday to you and you and you! How's it gone this week over at your place? Me? Well, aren't you kind for asking? I've had a fair to midland week myself full of highs, lows and a smattering of everything in between. Actually, now I'm just blithering Shakespearean style with much ado about nothing (but without all the clever phrasing) 'cause it's been a much simpler week than all that.

I did (and still do) have a sickie little Dandy going on three days. It started with a fever. On the second day he added a stomach ache. And today, just when we heard his sweet little chirpy voice upstairs playing and thought he was fine, he upped and chucked! Yes, BUT you couldn't find a more pleasant fellow these sick days. With a little ibuprofen on board, we've had all kinds of casual fun together playing games, solving puzzles, reading books, and even doing some workbook pages out of a kindergarten book I have. He's been patient, conversant, and other than the occasional discomfort mentioned, quite happy.

I don't get it. But then, he always surprises me so why am I confused. I feel like school is maturing him but drawing and quartering him at the same time. He acts like he likes it, but is showing so many fight or flight symptoms with the teachers.  It's like an unconscious part of him is rebelling with all it's power. And THAT part seems to be winning.

Oh dear, it is so difficult to know what's best for him. To keep him home and lose all of his special services feels irresponsible. But seeing him disrupt his school and spend so much time misbehaving that he's barely getting his work done seems counterproductive if not harmful to his psyche. Raspberries, I've gone on about that enough for now.

In other news, Ratchet boy and his cousin (a year younger) were both bestowed awards of citizenship at school today so that was exciting. I'm so proud of what nice young dudes they are becoming.

And finally, Jamey, myself, and a few others are helping our children's ministry leader start up a new bi-monthly activity called "Family Fun Nights". This is going to be for couples with youngish children to get together and play games, mini golf, watch movies,. do some bible focused activities and basically spend time with one another.

Last night was our first event so we kicked it off with food and a photo treasure hunt in the park. I say "we" because I meant to be there but instead made food and sent it with Jamey (due to previously mentioned sick kid). Jamey and Ratchet went to represent team "C-berg" and I guess the evening was a grand success.   I, of little faith, expected Jamey and Jonathan (our kid's minister) to be standing around taking pictures of each other while the park strays ate the hot dogs and various sides turning their noses up at my fancy salad.

But, apparently when it comes to entertaining families if you build it, they will in fact come, especially when you've advertised with a swanky video promising food. What video you ask? Well, I just happen to have it here on Vimeo for your viewing pleasure. Jamey made it with his clever media skillz so I thought I'd show it off now that it's time has come and gone.  If he makes them for the other events, I'll post them before hand to let you know what's coming.


Family Fun Nights - retro promo video from Jamey Clayberg on Vimeo.

Wasn't that cute? Squeak! So, if your a local yocal, please feel free to bring the brood out to our next family event. It's good clean fun and it all comes with pricing straight out of the 50's (but without any of the high maintenance hairdo's required)! 

Really what more could you ask for every other Thursday night **. :D


** "Family Fun Nights are not exactly every other Thursday night especially when holidays and or shopping and party seasons infringe and trump newly formed but not trademarked "Family Fun Nights". It is also possible to have ones own fun on Thursday nights and call it family night but not include the town in your "special" event. "F.F.N" are supposed to be fun but if on a certain evening we have chosen to play dodge ball and make ice cream sundaes, and THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE YOUR KIND OF FUN, please do not hold the founding members of "F.F.N" responsible for your overall happiness. We do not replace or claim to be anti-depressants of the medical sort, but merely are doing our own take on "fun" at an attempt to please a widely varying crowd.

Dandy the lion

Shall we start the week off with a dance?  Dandy has been enjoying having the drum machine in his room this weekend.  He has been urgently calling us in for impromptu dance parties off and on for the last two days.  

It's kind of funny because he's not really into loud music so when this song first kicked in he stiffened for the quickest moment and I thought we were in for a panic.  Then, as if the pause was for dramatic effect, he suddenly went into lounge dance mode.  That's my boy. If your caught off guard, always turn it into a comedic side step cha-cha-cha whenever possible.  

Meanwhile on the downbeat, the gip is having new sensory overload manifestations at school.  He is acting out in brand new ways that are both mysterious and depressing to his parents. I've been up there "helping in the classroom" and lurking in the hallways- sneaking peaks at him here and there at the requests of the teachers.  My plan has been to seem like I'm EVERYWHERE and know EVERYTHING he is doing or not doing at school so that he remembers how to behave.  The teachers and staff, much to their credit, have been bringing in all the help they can to try and make his first year a success.  Why, he even has his own personal assistant with him full time.  Is this special needs or a mastermind in his earliest stages of manipulation training for new subordinates?  Sometimes we aren't quite sure to be truthful!  So far the work has not been a problem for him as we suspected, but the behaving? 

 OH BEHAVE!

I have another meeting in the morning to get some more services set up (complete with the usual healthy heaping of paperwork don'tcha know-wheee!).  Otherwise, we are just trying to educate ourselves in the various possible issues going on while being as consistent with rewards and consequences as possible to keep Dandy going in the right direction.  I have yet to find the manual on this kid!  He is uniquely and wonderfully made to say the least!  Now, if we can just keep him from turning into the next Dr. Evil, we'll eventually save the planet, or at the very least, one small town's school system along the way. 

(cue: music)

Dramatic pause........................................AND, Side step- cha cha cha. Front step-cha cha cha. Side step-cha cha cha. Back step-cha cha cha.......

The hankie anniversary

Since I recently went on an unplanned blogging hiatus, I'll try to catch you up on a few things that have gone on in the last while around Shansland.  

In this entry, I want to point out that Jamey and I recently rocked the silk/linen anniversary!  Well, as much as you do rock an airy wrinkle-prone fabric on any given day.  Ok, we may not have worn silk or linen but boy did we have a twelfth  anniversary!  Yeah buddy!  And, since I couldn't find the official wedding album after looking in all the usual spots, I thought I'd show you these little black and whites of us nervously fiddling about before the actual ceremony began.  

As you can see, Jamey was merely a hatchling when I married him fresh out of college.  I was a mature woman of twenty-six and had enough wisdom at that point to know I would want my husband to be good and spry when his old girl needs to be put down.  It really works out for both of us,  I'll have a caretaker in my final days with his doogies about him.  And  he'll still have time once I'm off to Gloryland, to get a silver bullet Airstream loaded with all of his music gear (and a few fishing poles) and strike out on the road unhindered.   That's my loose plan anyway.

No matter how it all goes down, I know I got myself a keeper.  Jamey has a high tolerance for all of my high maintenance tendancies.  I have yet to scare him off in my worst of times, it's true. Most days,  he makes me feel like I have the hotness of Angelina Jolie (when I'm feeling more like her smoldering toilet leavings),  and  the mothering skills of  "Ma" Ingles (when I suspect I'm a Half-pint away from being Rosanne Barr  -slobbishly yelling at my kids in a whiny voice from the kitchen table.) "Eat again??  Didn't I just feed you people four hours ago?"

And Hubby-o-a dozen years does not just tell me he loves me.  No, no.  He does whatever it takes to make sure I am as happy and cared for as possible.  

Just last evening, for example, my insulin pump blew a sensor and died as I was refilling it with medicine.  This meant I would have no constant supply of insulin throughout the night and I was in for a tricky 12 hours until our pharmacy opened the next morning.  Fortunately, I have my Doc's email and he immediately called in a long acting insulin to the nearest 24 hour pharmacy.  Since this pharmacy was in another city 30 miles across the country darkness of Northwest Arkansas(and these eyes of mine don't DO country darkness of Northwest anywhere), my sweet husband hopped in the car without hesitation and spent the next hour and a half running my late Sunday evening errand without complaint.

That was not the first time he's had to make such a trip or otherwise drop everything else for me.  He takes care of me that one.  And he won't even complain when the bill for my hideously expensive newfangled pump arrives in the mail in a week or two.  He's been nice like that for a good dozen + years!  So, I expect I'll keep him until my own sensors make their final beeps and I'm eventually replaced by a newer model myself (well maybe model is not the best choice of words here. How about...version. Yes, I like that better.).  Let's just hope we make it well past talk of silk and linen before any necessary upgrades happen and have at least a jewel or metal celebration in our sites by then.

Happy (late as usual) anniversary Sweetheart!  You are the wings-that somehow use all of my wind as an energy source!! And even though that awkward phrasing would never make it into a well celebrated Bette Midler song, it still works for us somehow.  Now, pass the anniversary hankie over here if you will.  I'm coming down with a case of the sentimentals and my nose is starting to run.  So, here's to many more...HONK!!  XOXOX